All He Wanted To Do Was Run Solo
by chaosphoenix123
Summary: (AU) Chroma was the lone wolf among the Tenno. One day, fate (Lotus) decides that it was now time that he started being a team player. However, after his first team mission he finds himself getting uncomfortably close to his teammates especially a few of the female ones, as well as becoming the Stalker #1 target. Just what is in store for the Dragon Tenno?
1. Whether You Like It or Not (Mesa 1))

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.**

 **Update A/N: Nov 12, 2017: Well, I'll be damn. I seriously was not expecting this type of attention for this story. But after 8 fav, 10 follows, and 10 reviews, I guess people really like this story. Here is an updated chapter one, with more information and storytelling along with setting up the action for Chapter two which will have the actual mission in it. If you have ideas or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **A/N: This is my first attempt at the Warframe fandom. Got the game recently and took a liking to it. Chroma is my favorite just because of his versatile. This will be a different universe than the actual game and here is a list of changes:**

 **1\. There are only 42 Tenno (more will be added as the game adds them)**

 **2\. They are humans inside specially made suits that help contain their abilities. They can only be outside their suits for six hours at a time, afterward, their powers start going out of control. The ages vary from 16-40 each has their own reasons for staying around, they have all their abilities unlock and even a few new ones, and they each have a personality. Also, Prime and Umbra armors will still play a role.**

 **3\. Excalibur was the first to be awakened, Chroma was the second.**

 **4\. The Orbiter has been expanded to be big enough to fit all of the Tenno, Lotus, and their companions. Everyone has their own quarters and even their own landing craft within the hangar bay. There is no unlocking a planet, they go where they are needed.**

 **5\. The Orokin empire was that. It had a ruling Emperor along with a noble class.**

 **6\. Weapons load: The Tenno will have a choice besides the standard. They can ditch one slot for another; they can have two primary weapons, one melee, and no secondary or two melee, one secondary, and no primary, etc. They will never have more than three weapons unless it comes with their suit.**

 **AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:**

 _ **My username is EpicJamon on warframe and my main warframe is of course Chroma.**_

 _ **Whether You Like It or Not**_

It was peaceful deep in the part of the jungle where Excalibur was currently standing. Lushes greenery surrounded the alpha Tenno as he surveys the area, scanning for his target. His goal was no easy prey to find though, not in the slightest, for his prey was known to everyone, including the Lotus, as a loner. Whether on missions or on his own time, Chroma preferred being by himself, away from the others, only really being seen when it was his turn to stand watch on the bridge. The majority of the times when he was seen alongside the others was only at briefings, even then, only if he had to be there. The fact that he took his landing craft from the Orbiter to Earth shows how serious he was about having privacy.

Excalibur always found it little funny that despite Chroma being the second Tenno to be awakened, after Excalibur himself, he took almost no part in their organization other than missions. By all rights, he should be the second-in-command of the overall forty-two Tenno. Other have openly discussed that they could easily be second-in-command, though Chroma has openly stated that he would only take orders from Excalibur and the Lotus herself.

Unfortunately, a few of the other Tenno, namely Oberon, have seen this as insubordination at its finest and has put forth arguments stating Chroma should be willing to take orders from those that were in charge of whatever mission was going on. But before Excalibur could do anything, the Lotus herself step in, saying that Chroma was technically in the right. She pointed out that Excalibur was the only other authority beside herself that was recognized in their faction who can give orders. Also, that since Chroma only went out on solo missions, he was right in his statement on how he only took orders from Lotus and Excalibur.

The sound of footsteps nearby snaps Excalibur out of his thoughts as he turns to his left to see Chroma appearing out of the shadow of the trees, slowing hulking toward Excalibur. His blood-red armor was cover in an electrifying aura that sent tiny sparks to the plants around him. Excalibur remembers Chroma mentioning that he chose that element whenever he was in the forest cause it was the only one that didn't harm the vegetation.

"Excalibur", he greets in an almost welcome, yet gruffly, manner as he stood towering over the field commander of the Tenno, "What is it that you need?"

Excalibur's eyes flicker toward the Dynasty Galatine strap to Chroma's back while the elemental Tenno eyes the Dragon Nikana that hug on the Alpha Tenno's waist. Both swords were already considered powerful, even by Tenno's standards, and with Dynasty Galatine in the hands of Chroma and Dragon Nikana in the hands of Excalibur, they were nearly legendary.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught Excalibur's attention…

Attach to Chroma's back was the powerful Daikyu bow, capable of impaling a heavy armor Grineer deep into a steel wall. Not even the deadly archer Tenno, Ivara, could use the bow properly due to the strength that was required to draw and hold it. While she could still fire it off and score kills with it, she lacked the stunning accuracy she had with other bows and seldom got a headshot with it.

Then there was the Ferrox that Chroma was holding in his hand, the Corpus spear gun that the Tenno took off the corpse of Derim Zahn when he came across him while on an operation against the Index. Normally, Chroma had a certain level of respect for the dead when it came to their belongings and usually left them alone; but he made an exception for the Ferrox after witnessing first-hand the deadly potential it had. With it ionized shot that disintegrates whatever it hits and the fact that it can create a field of attraction that can hold a number of enemies in place and it completed Chroma's deadly array of weapons that he took into the field.

"The Lotus is calling for a meeting", Excalibur explains, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, "All Tenno are to attend."

Excalibur swore he saw Chroma raise an eyebrow underneath his pelt.

"You could have just told me that over the comm-link instead of coming all the way down here", he said as he pointed upward, "Ordis is constantly scanning them to make sure they're secure, even at a distance."

"It's urgent and you know how you like to dally. Plus, I wanted to talk to you about something else", Excalibur said as he walks closer to Chroma, "The Lotus believes it's time for you to start taking on team missions once more."

"Is this an order?", came out of Chroma's mouth.

"More like a suggestion", Excalibur assure him, "The Grineer are diverting more of their forces at us and eventually, even you are going to have trouble going solo and lets be frank, most of your abilities are gear toward supporting a team."

"They're also gear toward supporting just me. Look, when the day comes that I need someone watching my back out there again, you'll be the first to know.", Chroma states as he begins walking pass Excalibur.

"That day may come a lot sooner then you think", Excalibur says, causing Chroma to stop in his tracks.

Silence passes between them for a moment as the two of tell stood there, facing away from one another.

"Do you remember what your life was like?", Chroma asks, breaking the silence, "Before you got put into the warframe? Before the **Zariman Ten Zero?** "

This wasn't just some random question that came out of nowhere. None of the Tenno have a full memory of their past. They might remember certain faces and events, but never all of it for there are too many blank spaces in mind. Too many questions and nowhere close to enough answers.

Chroma watches Excalibur intently as the Alpha Tenno looks up at the sky in remembrance...

"I was the son of a high-ranking Orokin general, born into prestige and wealth. I was taught the sword from an early on and was deemed a protege at a young age while Nyx started down the path of becoming highly successful in the art of philosophy, winning debates against even the wisest philosophers the empire had to offer ", Excalibur answer as he thought of his little sister, Nyx. The two of them were the only blood relatives among the Tenno and that did give them some advantages on and off missions. Generally, it gave each of them someone to talk to, someone they could relate to, "I was to march next to my father as he led the military column at the Emperor's Grand Celebration while Nyx watched from the Imperial Balcony alongside our mother and the Imperial Ruler himself, you?"

"I came from a primitive nomad tribe of hunters/warriors back on Earth. We worship dragons and we believed that a man's worth was measured through the strength of his sword arm. Blades and bows were the weapons of my people and we avoided the main cities of the Orokin, only trading with them only when necessary along with paying our dues to his imperial majesty. I didn't even know what a gun was until that cursed Orokin ship found us while we were traveling, looking for promising prospects for the Emperor's Grand Celebration", Chroma reply before looking up at the skies, "But there will be more time to talk about that later; let's get going to this urgent meeting."

"One more question, Chroma", Excalibur says, "What are your thoughts on Mesa, the gunslinger Tenno?"

To say Chroma was caught off-guard by the question would be like saying Octiva enjoy singing as the Dragon Tenno turns around, "Why?"

"Just want your honest opinion on her, you seem to have a knack for being brutally honest.", Excalibur quickly explains, to which Chroma couldn't help but agree. His blunt nature and his tendency to speak without thinking have almost gotten him into a couple fights with his fellow Tenno onboard the Orbiter, especially Nezha.

" _All I said is that he shouldn't be mad if people mistake him for a girl",_ Chroma thought before answering, "She's too loud for missions that require one to be silent. From what I read on reports and overheard from those who have done operations with her, she has a tendency to "go loud" as she likes to put it and disregard stealth and go straight for a frontal assault, drawing the whole enemy base to her location. The fact that she doesn't even carry a melee weapon with her to combat only puts more of a burden on her teammates who have to cover her while she reloads. I acknowledge her pistol marksmanship with is the best among us all and she is one of our top tier snipers, but it doesn't make up for the fact that she is more of an obstacle than a help on missions; thus I'm not that surprised that she has gone on so few solo operations. It seems she constantly needs someone watching her back."

Excalibur stood there, taking in everything Chroma just said about the gunslinger Tenno...

"Thank you, Chroma, for your...honest opinion", he gently said as he looks back toward the sky and sees two landing craft heading toward them, " _If there are still gods in this world, I ask that you watch over me for the task ahead."_

 **Onboard the Orbiter**

"Wisp, thirty-three. Hildryn, thirty-four. Ash, thirty-five. Gara, thirty-six and finally, Chroma, thirty-seven", Ordis sound off, "Well, all Tenno are accounted for, except for Revenant, Garuda, Gauss, Grendel, and Baruka but for now we get this briefing done so we can- _bring down the vile Grineer regime-_ carry on with our duties."

"Well, isn't this a surprise?", Loki commented as he glances around the briefing room, everyone already knowing that the prankster was smiling under his helmet, "Almost all of us here under one roof for the first time in forever", as his gaze falls upon Chroma, who was standing off in a corner, away from everyone else, "Even the mighty lone wolf of the group has decided to grace us with his presence."

Chroma merely grunts in response, buying no mind to Loki's and his antics. He could hear his Effigy growling inside the depths of his mind, begging to be unleashed upon the trickster Tenno.

" _No, Aforitos, now is not the time",_ Chroma order, " _Whether you like it or not, he is an ally, regrettably. Plus, you know it's not allowed."_

Ever since Ember and Frost had a fight over how an ancient Earth beverage call coffee should be served, (Ember said hot and Frost said cold with ice), which left half the ship either frozen or scorch, the Lotus has forbidden the use of weapons or abilities being use outside the training room unless you had hers or Excalibur's permission to do so. Any violators of this rule and there have been a couple, were given clean-up duty to which they had to pick up after the kubrows and kavats whenever they "answer the call of nature". Even Chroma found it hard to suppress a laugh upon seeing Rhino sweeping up a huge pile that someone's kubrow left in one of the hallways after he decided to test whether or not the walls of the ship could survive one of his charges.

The Lotus entering the room alongside Excalibur snaps Chroma out of his thoughts as she walks to the center and began to address everyone…

"I see that everyone is present so now we can begin this briefing", as a hologram showing Captain Vor appear in front of her, "Intel from Dravo and our contacts in the syndicates have discovered that Captain Vor has been promoted back to the rank of Admiral."

A mutter erupts through the Tenno.

"As I sure you are aware, this means that he now has access to more resources than before and no doubt will be using them against us and our allies", Lotus said.

"Why the sudden promotion?", Atlas asks, "He was demoted specifically because he disobeys orders from the Queens; why promote him again?

"Our intel suggests that despite the blows we have dealt Captain Vor and his forces, there have been a few times where his forces have prevented us from completing our mission objectives; so far he has been the only Grineer commander to do so. So it would seem that the Queens believe that giving him access to more forces will garner more victories."

Silence descended upon the room as the information sunk in.

"What can we be expecting?", Mirage asks.

"At least three full divisions of Grineer infantry", Lotus reply.

"Well, shit", Ember said.

"Exactly", Lotus said, "Which is why we need to eliminate Vor and his lieutenants, especially lieutenant Lech Kril, before they arrive. Our spies say that the forces are still five days from arriving at Vor's new experimental base located on the surface of Mercury, so if we take him and his leadership out before they show up, they will be diverted back toward their original posts. Also, it seems that the majority of Vor's forces are spread out throughout the system; assisting Grineer forces in combating the Infected and certain Corpus factions. His remaining forces number just under a thousand strong."

"Stills sound pretty risky attacking Vor at his headquarters", Volt pointed out to which more than a couple of the Tenno agreed,"Also, seeing how our shields may have trouble dealing with the high temperature of the planet's surface."

"It is, that's why this will be an all-team effort,", Lotus said, "All Tenno will be participating in this attack, expect for Revenant who is keeping an eye on the Grineer in Cetus, Garuda who are monitoring the Eris situation between the Corpus and Infected, Gauss and Grendel are on Sedna and Baruka who is still negotiating an agreement between us and Solaris United on Sol Fortuna. There is no time to call any of them back seeing how Vor is still in the process of relocating his base to the surface and thus is not fully fortify yet. Now is the perfect time to strike while he is at his weakest. Your shields and the interior cooling system should hold up as long you don't stay in direct sunlight for a prolonged extension of time. But it would be best if you seek shelter as soon as possible."

"Be that as it may", Volt voices up again, " All the Tenno there in one spot. For all we know this could be a trap."

"I believe you're giving Vor too much credit. Besides, it's the only way to be sure. Usually I'm against doing this sort of thing but there is lot is on the line here", Lotus explain as a battle-map came up, "One of our Syndicate allies, Cressa Tal and her Steel Meridian, will launch a large assault on a nearby outpost not far from Vor's headquarters, forcing him to divert forces there in an effort to repel them. Once that happens, one team consisting of the majority of you will be drop into the facility, close to Vor's most likely location. Another team will be drop on the far-side of the facility to act as a diversion to get the remaining enemy forces to gather at your position."

"Why just Steel Meridian?", Wukong asks, "We're on good terms with all six syndicates. Hell, each of them owes us at least a dozen favor, we could easily have a larger force given to us for this mission."

"Other than the obvious fact that they hate one another? The fact that if we send too large of a force to attack the outpost, Vor will most likely not even bother sending reinforcements and will instead just fortify his position even more. We need a large enough force that will cause the outpost to call for help while being small enough that Vor will send additional forces to aid them. Seeing how we're sending Steel Meridian forces, the most-hated syndicate for the Grineer, this will surely catch Vor's attention", Lotus explain as she went back to the battle-map, "Moving on, the diversion team will consist of-"

"I'll do it ", Chroma immediately volunteers from his corner of the room, causing everyone to look at him while Excalibur could only shake his head.

"Here it comes", he mutters as the Lotus began to speak.

"Actually, Chroma, you were selected to be on the diversion team", she began.

"Okay, what resistance can I be expecting?", Chroma said.

"I wasn't finish talking, Chroma", Lotus interrupted, catching everyone by surprise excluding Excalibur, " Like I said, you were selected to be part of the diversion **team** , as in there will be more than one of you fulfilling this goal."

An eerie silence descends upon the briefing room as even Loki had stop grinning, (not that anyone could tell). No one ever thought of Chroma as being a "team player". In fact, most of them thought that he was incapable of acting as one. He was rarely seen outside of his quarters, his time in the training simulator was always by himself, and he even kept his personal weapons, which he gathered the materials and made himself, locked away from the others in the armory. Other than bridge watches, mission control, or patrols, no one really ever interacted with Chroma, (it didn't help that during all those duties, he rarely ever spoke.)

The silence continues for well over a minute as everyone waited for Chroma's reaction. He was just constantly staring at the Lotus, like a predator eyeing its prey, ready to pounce. Those closest to his position could see a small billow of smoke coming out of his nostrils.

Finally, Chroma spoke.

"Who else is going to be on the team?"

"Mesa", Lotus answers and this time full flames came blazing out of Chroma's nose as his eyes turn into a glare and he slowly turns his head toward the gunslinger Tenno, but not before shooting a fiery glare at Excalibur.

"Is my choice of teammates optional?" he nearly growl now realizing why Excalibur asked him that question earlier.

"Well shit, suga", Mesa spoke up as she laid back in her chair, "If I didn't know any better I say you didn't like me."

Before Chroma could say anything, the Lotus spoke up...

"Mesa's abilities are the most suitable alongside yours in this mission, so that's a negative on changing partners" she stated, "Her long-range capabilities along with your melee expertise will allow you two to hold off the Grineer indefinitely until the assassination is complete. Now seeing how Mercury is still six hours away even at our top speed, everyone is to rest up for the time being. You will receive a more detail brief once Mercury is within range."

All the Tenno proceed to leave the briefing room, only for the Lotus to call out to Chroma and Mesa.

"Not you two, you are to report to the simulator room."

This catches everyone off-guard as they turn to stare at the Lotus.

"I know what you all are thinking, but while Chroma and Mesa skills are more than enough to complete this job on their own, they have never been on a team together before and therefore I believe a co-op simulator run is in order", Lotus states as she turns to the alpha Tenno, " Excalibur, if you will come with me to the bridge."

 **Orbitor's Bridge**

"I can sense that most of the Tenno do not approve of this mission", the Lotus said as she and Excalibur enter the bridge, the door sliding behind them.

"That's a bigger understatement the time you said that Rhino may be a little peeved after you cut down his gym time", Excalibur responded.

"He didn't need ten hours in there, but that is beside the point", Lotus began, "Why do you think they feel like that?"

Lotus often look to Excalibur for guidance just as much as he look to her for it. When it came down to it, he was closer to the rest of the Tenno then she would ever be just by the fact that he was one of them.

"Two things, Lotus", he began, "First off, the fact that we're sending everyone at Vor may make it seem like he is an even bigger threat to us than he actually is."

"Excalibur, how many attempts have we made on Vor's life?", Lotus asks, causing Excalibur to let out a sigh.

"Four ", he answers, "Once by me, once by Loki, once by Ivara, and once by Ash."

"And seeing how he is still alive, it's safe to say that none of those attempts work", Lotus says while turning to look out into space.

"Those were all solo missions with no available backup whatsoever!", Excalibur argue, "All of us were lucky to make it back alive and even Ivara and Ash were out of commission for a good two weeks afterward with their injuries! If we would have sent a team in-"

"Which is precisely what I'm doing", Lotus interrupted in a calming voice while still looking out into the stars, "I am sending in the whole team to kill Vor and his lieutenants to make sure none of them escape this time."

Excalibur shakes his head in frustration before moving on, "Fine, if that's what you want, though I still fail to see why all of his lieutenants are important, Lech Kril is the only dangerous one among them."

"Precisely why he will be the top priority after Vor. While Lech Kril is the most dangerous, by wiping out all of his command in a single strike, we are able to ensure that no one will be placed in a position to take over for Vor", Lotus explains, "Now on to the second thing."

Excalibur lets out a breath as he slightly shook his head, "At first, I was all for Chroma doing team missions, but upon seeing his reaction in the briefing room, I'm starting to have second thoughts."

"And why is that?", Lotus inquire.

"Chroma has only done one team mission, despite what almost everyone believes", he began.

"Yes, I recall you two partnering up to rescue Valkyr once Dravo informed us of her captivity quite some time ago", Lotus remember.

"Then you also recall what happen upon us waking her up out of her cryopod."

"She attacked you."

"That's a light way of saying she went full-on berserk aka _**Hysteria**_ on us and it took both my _**Exalted Blade**_ and Chroma's _**Effigy**_ to finally subdue her, which was hard seeing how they're meant to finish opponents off", Excalibur said, "But ever since then, Chroma has avoided going out on anything that wasn't a solo mission or an awakening mission, and those were only alongside me and me alone."

"And you feel that by forcing him on a team mission will bring about disastrous consequences, yes?", Lotus asks.

"I feel that they won't be positive", Excalibur admitted.

"Well then, let's see how the simulator run goes then", Lotus said, "Ordis, bring up the simulator room."

"Yes, Lotus", as a screen appear in front of her, showing Chroma and Mesa standing alongside one another on top of holopads in the center of a large all-white room, neither one talking or even looking at the other, "Both operators have inserted training mods into their weapons and warframe and are awaiting - _the word to go all out-_ further instructions."

"Bring up Mercury course, delta-one-alpha-Zulu-two, Ordis", Lotus commanded.

"Lotus, that course is un-finish due to lack of proper intel gathering of the actual site", Ordis responded.

"It's a seventy percent near perfect replicate of Vor's headquarters, thus it will have to do", Lotus reply, "Let's go with five full platoons of Grineer marines. You may start when ready."

"Yes, Lotus", Ordis answer.

"I believe your worries are unfounded, Excalibur. I am certain that Chroma and Mesa will excel to the best of their abilities and put aside their differences for the sake of the mission."

 **Three hours later on the outskirts of Mercury**

Silence reign supreme in the briefing room, despite almost everyone on the ship being there, minus a few sentinels, kubrows, and kavats. Everyone was exchanging glances between Chroma, who stood by himself in his corner with his eyes closed, then to Mesa, who was sitting arms cross next to Octiva in silence, and then at the Lotus, who was standing at the front center, with a faint scowl on her lips.

And that's where it began…

"Chroma. Mesa.", the Lotus began in a flat tone voice, devoid of any emotion, " I...have seen many things over the years. I have witnessed the birth of the syndicates, back when there were over a hundred of them. From afar; I have observed the rise of the Corpus and Grineer and their countless wars against one another. I have seen colonies prosper, I have seen them wither and die, either through war, famine or swept away by the infected."

" _How old is she?",_ Excalibur wonder, knowing full well that he wasn't the only one thinking that, " _I know she's definitely not human despite her appearance, but she has never really disclosed any personal information about herself."_

"But what I witness today in the training simulator was by far the most undisciplined, childish, and unprofessional, spectacle I have ever had the misfortune to witness!", Lotus said, her voice steadily rising, with anger beginning to seep in, "Not only did you two fail to complete your goal, you had the sheer audacity to start bickering in the middle of a gunfight, afterward ejecting your training mods from both your weapons and your warframes and began to fight one another!"

Both Chroma and Mesa at least had the sense to turn their heads away after this accusation; though thanks to their helmets no one could tell if it was in embarrassment, anger, shame, or a mixture of all three.

"The both of you have caused unimaginable damage to the training simulator room and if it wasn't for Excalibur going in there and stopping you, no doubt the damage would have exceeded beyond that room!"

Mesa thought back to that particular moment when she and Chroma were in the middle of fighting another when Excalibur bust into the room. She was in the proceed of flipping of the way of a swipe from the Dragon Tenno sword and had drawn her Regulators and had them aim at his head when Excalibur came in with his _**Exalted Sword**_ fully draw and shining so brightly that it almost blinded her. When he demanded that both Mesa and Chroma cease their actions, Mesa immediately retracted her Regulators and threw the rest of her weapons on the ground, (though it broke her heart a little to see her precious Akvasto hit the steel floor. Out of all the Tenno, she spends the most time tinkering with her guns to keep them in prime condition), but when she glances toward Chroma, she spotted something that surprise her….

Chroma had yet to drop his sword.

In fact, he still had it raise up, his hands tighten around the grip as though he was ready to strike. The look he was throwing Excalibur was so heated that Chroma could have breathed fire and it wouldn't have been as hot as the look in his eyes. But Excalibur wasn't backing down either as he held his blade of pure energy up in a fighting stance. It was only after a few, high tension, moments that Chroma sheath his blade and stomp his way out, never once looking back at Excalibur as his heavy footsteps echo throughout the training room and the hallway afterward.

" _I honestly thought Chroma and Excalibur were going to fight. Seriously, what the hell happened between those two?",_ Mesa thought before returning her attention back to the Lotus, who was winding down from her, surprisingly calm, tirade.

"Furthermore, along with you two taking on syndicate jobs in over to pay for the damages you cause to the training room, you two will also be taking double shifts on bridge watches, mission control, and patrols until I say otherwise", the Lotus ordered.

" _Fucking perfect",_ Mesa thought and briefly looks over her shoulder to see Chroma's reaction to the news, " _Still just standing there, arms cross and everything."_

Now we will have to delay the assault by at least a full day while we reorganize the teams and put Mesa into an appropriate squad and find another task for Chroma ", Lotus complained aloud, "Ordis, send a message to Cressa Tal, telling her to hold off on her attack until further notice."

"Right away, Lotus. I shall contact her imm-", Ordis replied before getting cut off, "Hmmm, well, that is * _fucking awful*_ unfortunate news."

"Ordis?", Lotus asks.

"Lotus, it would seem that Cressa Tal and her Steel Meridian have already launched their assault on the outpost", Ordis answers.

"WHAT?!", resounds throughout the room, "The attack wasn't supposed to go off for another three hours!"

"Her vanguard teams are already hitting the first line of defense even as we speak", Ordis continued on, "Grineer radio chatters indicate the outpost is requesting aid and the main base is in the process of mobilizing at least five full companies to go aid them. "Lotus, by my calculations, base on monitor radio chatter and intel reports, that is almost - _a shit ton-_ half the base responding."

"That's more than what we expected", Lotus realize while also feeling a headache coming on, "How many Steel Meridan soldiers are attacking?"

"At least three hundred, including Cressa Tal herself", Ordis answered, "Radio chatters points to the logical conclusion that this is why they're sending so many. The Grineer Queens have recently placed a high bounty on her head, promising any officer who brings her to them a council position."

"Tell Cressa Tal to withdraw, for now, we can't risk losing one of our allies, no matter how unstable they are", Lotus ordered, only to be met with silence from Ordis.

"Lotus, a recently intercepted radio transmission states that Captain Vor himself, along with Lieutenant Lech Kril, are preparing to go out to the outpost as well, via dropship, in an effort to, and I quote, capture the alleged war criminal themselves", Ordis said, "They are leaving a small skeleton crew at the main base and taking a majority of the garrison with them to aid the outpost. If I'm reading the radio chatter right, they're planning to execute encircling maneuvers to prevent Cressa Tal from escaping and are ordering their anti-aircraft guns to shoot down any approaching aircraft that don't belong to their side. Steel Meridian's dropships would no doubt have extreme difficulty getting through their screen. By my calculations, if Captain Vor's forces are able to pull off these maneuvers, the Steel Meridian forces will be - _slaughter to a man_ \- wiped out within an hour, if not less. I have tried reaching Cressa Tal and her forces to warn them, but have been unable to raise them."

Lotus' facial expression said it all. If Cressa Tal is capture or worse, the rest of Steel Meridian, along with the colonies they were protecting will fall as well in no time. Not only will this shift the balance of power among the syndicates, but also the system as a whole. She had a choice to make and she had to make it fast.

"Alright, new strategy", Lotus announce, "All the Tenno who were not assigned to the distraction team are going to be landed behind Captain Vor and his forces in their respective teams and hit him from behind. His and Lieutenant Kril deaths are still a top priority, but if you see a chance to aid Steel Meridian, take it. This also changes the mission parameters as you will more than likely be assaulting enemies forces from across the planet's surface. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to the sunlight as your shields will already be pushed to their limits and take cover when you can. Also realize that Cressa Tal and her forces, along with Vor's, are facing the same conditions. Grineer are tough, but even they won't last long in these conditions."

"And what about Chroma and Mesa?", Excalibur asks.

"Those two will be drop into Steel Meridian's position to aid them", she states as she turns to look at the two Tenno in question, "Under any other circumstances, I would not be considering this, but too much is at stake here and I hope you realize that and are able to put your difference aside for the sake of the colonies that this syndicate protects for if Cressa Tal dies, Steel Meridian dies with her. Your orders are simple: keep her alive at all cost. Failure to complete this mission will have dire consequences; for you and everyone else."

"All Tenno!", Lotus ordered after a few moments of silence, "Prepare to launch! You got five minutes to get ready! You will receive any additional information in-flight to your drop positions! Now go!", and with that, the Tenno ran out of the briefing room in a mad, but somewhat organize frenzy.

By some coincidence, both Chroma and Mesa were running alongside one another down the hallway.

"You stay out of my way out there and you might not get a bullet in your skull, suga", Mesa calmly threaten.

"You stay out of my way out there or else the last thing you'll see in this life is a blade coming down on top of your head", Chroma responded back.

 **A/N: Let's see how this goes. Please note that updates may be slow because of my other stories. Is Mesa going to have a Southern accent this far in the future? Well, if the game can have guys like Clem and Ordis, then yes she can. Chapter two will have the mission in it. I wanted to save the actual action for the next chapter which is why I didn't do the simulator, just the aftermath of it. Also, I know that there are no bases on the actual surface of Mercury, but decided to do this to make the combat more ...realistic, I guess.**

 **Dynasty Galatine is Galatine with the Chroma Dynasty skin on it.**


	2. Judgement (Mesa 2)

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe**

 **A/N: Here is the full chapter as promised. Now I must go work on my Ranger of Westeros stories along with Wild Master and Romeo Rising.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Judgement**

" _I really wish I had more time to prepare",_ Chroma thought as he hovers an inch off the interior surface of his landing craft, a red-coated Scimitar, " _Then I would have had time to change my energy to one that would have been more useful for the operation."_

Chroma was unique amongst the Tenno for his ability to change his energy and therefore his element. Unlike the other elemental Tenno like Volt or Frost, he could change his element to counter whatever enemy he was most likely going to encounter in the field by choosing between fire, frost, electric, and corrosive gas. One of the drawbacks of this is that it requires him to meditate for at least two hours before missions as so he could change his energy flow to the desired one. Another drawback of this was that it made his energy significantly unstable, at least compared to everyone else. The majority of his non-mission time, if he wasn't in the training room or on watch, was taken up by him performing nartas, ancient Tenno katas, or meditating, to help him focus his energy and keep it under control, hence the solitude.

His thoughts and focus were interrupted by the sound of his "partner" radioing him across the frequency.

"Hey, suga", Mesa said and Chroma turns to glare at his starboard viewing screen where a yellow-coated, blue stripes Xiphos was seen, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Before I allow you to, I strongly suggest that you stop calling me "suga", I have a codename, use it", Chroma growl, before hearing an annoyed sigh.

"Greaaat, you're one of them too", Mesa said.

"One of what?"

"One of those all-business, no-fun guys", Mesa explain, " The kind whose mind is always on the mission and nothing more, like Oberon and Excalibur. They don't like it when I address them as suga either."

"Did you ever stop to think it might be a matter of respect on why they don't like being called that?", Chroma inquires, "We call ourselves our codenames for a reason."

"We call each other the codename of our warframe and they're the name given to us by the Orokin scientists who experimented on us; a fact that most of you have seemed to have forgotten", Mesa retorted.

"I doubt anyone has forgotten about that", Chroma replied as he monitors his screens, "We are getting close to Mercury's stratosphere."

"I can see that" Mesa stated.

"Didn't you have a question for me?", Chroma suddenly remembers the main topic of their conversation before it got veer off.

"Oh yeah, that's right", Mesa said, "Why are you using your fire breath energy? Shouldn't you be using your corrosive gas, you know, something that actually works against the Grineer?"

Chroma didn't even try to stop the eye roll that followed.

 **Onboard the Orbiter**

"Lotus, all landing craft are nearing their drop-off points", Ordis inform the leader of the Tenno from the bridge, "Operator Chroma and Mesa ETA to dropzone is exactly twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Ordis", the Lotus replies, "Now, were all the modifications to the Tenno's warframes and landing craft completed?"

"Yes, Lotus. Shields have been augmented with the program that will allow them to withstand the temperature of the surface along with enhancing the interior cooling system of the suits. But these modifications can only keep them in a habitable environment for so long before it gets overwhelmed", Ordiswarnsn, "We should once again emphasize the need for them to secure a safe location, such as the interior of the outpost or otherwise, as soon as possible."

"All team leads; including Chroma and Mesa, have been instructing in this matter. Our main problem is ensuring that Cressa Tel survives this mission. Even if, by some miracle, Vor or Kril somehow survive this, as long as we get Cressa Tel to safety, we could count that as a minor victory", Lotus stated, though deep down she knew she needed Vor and Kril to die, or the repercussions would be felt through the system. But that wasn't the only thing troubling her, "Ordis?"

"Yes, Lotus?"

"Remind me again why Vor decided to build a base on the surface of Mercury? The extreme environment would push even the toughest Grineer to their limits."

"Well, Lotus, according to intel reports, Vor has always wanted only the toughest Grineer to make up his forces and thus he has already used a process to, in his words, weed out the weakness that is poisoning the Grineer", Ordis explain, doing nothing to ease Lotus' anxiety.

" _What if Volt was right_ _about this being a trap?",_ Lotus thought before quickly dismissing the idea, " _No, while Vor is far more intelligent than the average Grineer, him devising a trap like this that puts himself in clear mortal danger is below his_ _intelligence._

Lotus stares out into the cold abyss of space at the planet Mercury as it came into view, its inner space dotted with refinery asteroids and Grineer's ships.

" _Though he was able to reverse-engineer Orokin technology and make the Ascaris device that restrained Excalibur for quite some time",_ she thought.

 ** _In the skies of Mercury_**

" _We are approaching the drop site",_ Ordis informed Chroma and Mesa as they entered the suffocating atmosphere of the closest planet to the sun. Even with the highly advanced onboard cooling system within the landing craft, the dragon Tenno still felt the heat from outside as it baked the outer surface.

"Do we have a visual of Cressa Tal's position?", Chroma asks mentally dreading the paint job that he was going to have to fix himself on his landing craft later on.

"Yes, a visual of the – _giant clusterfuck-_ ensuring battle is coming up in three….two….one", Ordis replied as a screen appears in front of Chroma's face and after analyzing it for a few moments, he felt his temper and annoyance rise.

"Well, hog tied me up and sell me at the market", Mesa voiced, "This couldn't have been a bigger shitstorm for us to fly into."

And Chroma couldn't help but agree with her as he surveys the battlefield through the screen because it would seem that despite having the element of surprise, the Steel Meridian forces failed to take the main building of the outpost, instead being forced to the outskirts where they seem to have taken shelter in a series of caves that litter the landscape. Above them, rapid bursts of anti-air fire blanketed the skies.

"Judging by the firing pattern of the flak guns, it would seem that there is no distinct strategy to the anti-aircraft screen. It as though the Grineer are _\- shooting for the sheer fuck of it-_ firing off at random. Unfortunately, this seems to have been enough to keep Steel Meridian's dropships from coming to evac them", Ordis informed the two Tenno.

Chroma study the intensity of the barrage for a moment before speaking, "How long until the others land, Ordis?"

"ETA for the remaining Tenno is exactly five minutes."

"And what's the priority of the anti-aircraft guns?", Mesa interjected.

"Top priority is Captain Vor and Lieutenant Lech Kril, a secondary objective is aiding the Steel Meridian and reverse order for you two. But two of the eleven three-man teams have been assign to take out the emplacements."

"Locate Cressa Tal", Chroma ordered and a second later a visual of the syndicate leader appear on the screen. She was in the middle of an intense firefight between her squad and a full platoon of Grineer marines and she was currently pinned down by three heavy gunners behind a boulder while Chroma notices another platoon on her left slowly advancing under fire to flank her and her squad. As the bullets from the Grineers' Gorgon began to slowly chip away the rock, Chroma spotted a figure coming up from behind them that made smoke come out of his mouth in annoyance.

Towering over everyone on the battlefield, be they Steel Meridian or not, and slowly moving toward Cressa Tal with his infamous hammer, Brokk, strapped to his back and firing away with his own personal Gorgon, was the famous war hero of the Grineer, Lieutenant Lech Kril.

"This day keeps getting better and better", Chroma muttered, seeing on his screen Mesa shaking her head in frustration, knowing that she had come to the same conclusion as well.

"We're going to have to hot-drop in", Chroma finally said, "Get ready. Ordis, I'm going to need you to sync up our drop and calculate the exact moment to release."

"Affirmative, Operator Chroma."

 ** _Hot-Dropping was the term used when a Tenno operative had to get into a drop zone, but the LZ was deemed too hot for their landing craft. Where usually the landing craft would hover over LZ and let the Tenno flip out and drop to the ground; the landing craft accelerates to extremely high speed and then proceeds to drop the Tenno operative in mid-flight and then turns sharply and leaves. This literally shoots the Tenno out like a bullet to the LZ and allows them to glide in. While this method minimizes the damage from the enemy fire to the Tenno, they are still gliding in at neck-breaking speed and usually have difficulty fully controlling their landing._**

"You assist Cressa Tal while I handle Kril", Chroma states, only to see Mesa snap her neck at him.

"Please tell me that was your idea of a joke, suga!", Mesa said, "Kril fought Rhino to a draw and he fought him with his Fragor! Your sword isn't going to stand a chance against him and he's heavily shielded against ranged attacks!"

"You underestimate **_Tiamat's Wrath_** ", Chroma says as he began to position himself for the drop, "I'll hold off Kril while you get Cressa Tal to safety for an evac, unless you want to take him on for as long as he's around, the Grineer's assault is only going to get worse. And by fighting Kril, I'm ensuring that we will receive aid from the other teams since he is a priority target."

"It's still a dumb plan, suga", Mesa countered.

"I'm not trying to beat him, only stall him", Chroma repeated, "Ordis, how long until we're within range?"

"Currently coming up on the launching point. Operators, please make ready", the A.I. states as Mesa moves into herself into position as well, the magnetic pull from the stasis frame sealing her into place.

"Operator Mesa, operator Chroma, commencing last diagnosis check before launch", Ordis said as Mesa felt a surge of digital energy flow through her…

 ** _Operator Mesa Status Check:_**

 **Shields: Green**

 **Vital Signs: Green**

 **Armor: Green**

 **Energy: Fully Charged**

 **Energy Siphon Mod Install**

 ** _Operator Mesa's Weapons Check:_**

 **Snipertron Status: Green**

 **Soma Status: Green**

 **Akvasto Status: Green**

"Operator Mesa, prepared for mission", Ordis concluded, "Moving on to Operator Chroma"

 ** _Operator Chroma Status Check:_**

 **Shields: Green**

 **Vital Signs: Green**

 **Armor: Green**

 **Energy: Fully Charged**

 **Energy Siphon Mod Install**

 **Special Energy Flow: Fire**

 ** _Operator Chroma's Weapons Check_** :

 **Dragon Galatine (** ** _Tiamat's Wrath_** **) Status: Green**

 **Daikyu Status: Green**

 **Ferrox Status: Green**

"Operator Chroma, prepared for mission", Ordis said, "Preparing for launch, accelerating landing craft to maximum speed."

It was at that moment as Mesa mentally prepares herself for the battle ahead that she heard something over the communication link.

" ** _I am the dragon, master of all I survey. All that stands against me will fall, be it through fire, ice, lightning, or poison. I am the dragon, master of all I survey. All that stands against me will fall, be it through fire, ice, lightning, or poison."_**

"What the hell?", Mesa wondered before Ordis came over her comm link.

"It's the chant he says before every mission. It seems to steady his heartbeat and calm his nerves from what I have observed", he explains.

"Is that right?", Mesa asks as Ordis began the countdown.

"Preparing for rotation", he said over both of their comm links, "Rotating stasis in three….two...one."

" ** _When all of the land is in ruin, only I will remain."_**

Within a heartbeat, Mesa went from staring up at the ceiling of her landing craft to glazing upon the scorched landscape of the planet. Instantly, she felt her warframe interior cooling kick up to its maximum output just as she felt her skin began to heat up from the smothering environment around her. Even with the advance Orokin technology cooling her within her suit, she still felt the heat, but at least it was bearable and survivable.

"Still hotter than a whore in church, though", Mesa muttered, though she barely heard herself over the sound of the rushing air that jetted over her body as her and Chroma's landing craft approach the battlefield. They were still well out of range of the guns, but through Mesa's HUD she was able to make out a Steel Meridian's dropship taking a direct hit and getting blown out of the skies; it's pilot and passengers falling to the ground in a tangled mess of burning corpses and mangled flesh.

Before Mesa could comment on the attack, she heard Ordis talking to her.

"Launching in three….two….one...Go!"

Mesa felt the stasis frame turn off and release her and a heartbeat later, she once again experiences first-hand what a bullet felt like when it was shot out of a gun.

"Squad Delta, focus your fire on their left flank! Bravo, cover Alpha while they get their wounded to shelter! Charlie lay down some goddamn suppression fire!", Cressa Tal barked over the Steel Meridian comm-link while she herself was laying down fire with her Karak toward the advancing Grineer squad that was being led by none other than Lech Kril himself, "This has just turn into the system's biggest clusterfuck!"

A few hours ago, Cressa Tal received intel from one of her inside sources that Tyl Regor, the foremost Grineer scientist responsible for finding a cure for the negative effects of the Grineer cloning, was at Vor's base. The reasons why were vague at best, but that didn't matter to Cressa Tal. Ever since some of her comrades were captured by Vor and handed over to Tyl Regor, she wanted his head, almost as much as she wanted Vor. Ever since Tyl Regor publicly display a holo-video showing him conducting horrible experiments on her capture fellow Steel Meridians, she wanted revenge, so much that she didn't even inform the Lotus of her sudden attack way ahead of schedule; for she knew that woman would try to talk her out of it.

"Should have at least send her a message", Cressa Tal told herself, "A few Tenno backing me up could really help me out right now."

"Cressa Tal!", one of her sergeant next to her shouts out, "Look!"

Cressa Tal follows the stretch out hand of the free Grineer and spots two objects flying toward them at a high speed from behind their position. She could vaguely make out a slim yellow figure on the right and a bulkier red figure on the left, zooming toward them.

"Well I'll be damn", Cressa Tal chuckled, "Seems like my prayers are answered."

Mesa and Chroma were rocketing toward the Steel Meridian's position at a sharp downward incline, going at speeds that almost broke the sound barrier. On their personal HUD, the altitude indicators were rapidly dropping as the pair got closer and closer to the surface.

"1600 meters", Ordis read off, "1500...1400...1300"

Mesa drew her Akvasto from her back and re-straighten herself while Chroma drew **_Tiamat's Wrath_**.

"900...800...700...operators now is the recommended distance to prepare for gliding", the A.I. advise before continuing the countdown, " 500...400..300… nearing the surface level."

Both Tenno activated their gliding mechanism and their speeds rapidly decrease, but not to the point where they could land gently. Mesa landed first, sliding along the ground, leaving a deep trench in her wake and if she thought the air of the planet was scorching, then she was lucky she had a highly advanced suit of armor between her and the ground. Without skipping a beat, she takes aim with her dual pistols and lets out short three-round burst from each gun, taking out a heavy gunner and lancer from Lech Kril's squad in the process, before finally ending up at the rock where Cressa Tal was currently taking cover.

"Took your asses long enough to get here!", the Grineer defector says.

"Says the one who launched the attack three hours early without telling anyone!",Mesa quip back as she pressed her back against the rock, "So how deep are we in right now?"

"We lost three dropships coming in due to anti-aircraft fire and were only able to less than half our force before I had to wave off the rest due to the intensity of their screech! I got less than a hundred men with me right now, getting smaller by the second, while around another one-fifty are up in space!"

"We saw one of your dropships get hit on our way here!", the gunslinger Tenno inform Cressa Tal.

"Yeah, I saw. It was carrying all of Squad Foxtrot", Cressa Tal as she sighs and shook her head, despite the carnage going on around her, "They were one of my veteran squads. They have been through a shit ton of battles and some of them have even been with me since the founding of Steel Meridian."

"I would give you my condolences, suga, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that! We got to get you out of here!", Mesa told her.

"I figure that was why you were here! Hate to break it to ya, but I'm not leaving until either all of the Grineer loyalists are dead or all of my surviving men are off the planet!", Cressa Tal states bluntly, "Sorry if that throws a wrench in your plans."

"We both know it throws a wrench in our plans-", Mesa started to say before something caught her eye from behind Cressa Tal.

"One moment", she says as she draws her snipertron, takes aim, and delivers a headshot to a Ballistas that somehow got up on the cliff flanking their current position and was lining up a headshot on one of the Steel Meridian troopers. Before the Ballistas even drops her gun and falls over the side, Mesa was back to her conversation with Cressa Tal, "And second, we both know you're not sorry."

Cressa Tal looks behind her just in time to see the Ballistas' body hit the ground and looks up at the cliff where the sniper was previously out before shouting into her radio, "Bravo, keep an eye on the cliffs, will you?!"

She then turns her attention back to Mesa, "So how are we going to get out of here with Lech Kril bearing down on us?"

Mesa pokes her head out from around the rock, "Looks like Chroma handling that right now", before noticing something about the enemies assaulting them.

"You guys are almost equal in numbers here; how come you guys are getting push back so hard?", she asks.

"That's something I would like to know as well", Cressa Tal admitted, "For some reason, these Grineer are a lot tougher than the lot that I'm used to dealing with. More coordinated, more resilient, and even faster and stronger. Hell, I had a hard time taking down a Butcher of all things when we first landed."

 ** _What Chroma was doing while all that was going on_**

Chroma sometimes wondered what would happen if he used his fire breath in an environment that was already super-heated. He wondered if it would increase the strength of his flames or would it simply cancel them out. This, along with countless more, were the things that kept his mind occupied whenever he would mediate.

Well, now he had one less thing to ponder over during his mediation, for he had a front row seat to seeing just how dangerous his flames were in a super-heated environment as he glided over the squad being led by Lech Kril and let loose his **_Spectral Scream_** them. His own mouth started to heat up upon releasing his flames but only to the point of mild discomfort as the Grineer who were caught in his blast weren't so lucky as they burst into flames and the smell of burning flesh filled the dragon Tenno nostrils. But Chroma had little time to dwell as he was heading straight for Lech Kril, who at the moment was holstering his Gorgon and going straight for his infamous hammer, Brokk, and swinging it at Chroma.

 **CLANK!**

Chroma could feel his entire warframe vibrate under the weight of the impact from the hammer as it collides with **_Tiamat's Wrath,_** sending the Tenno flying backward. He was in the air for almost two seconds before backflipping and landing on his feet. He briefly notices while looking down that small amounts of smoke were coming off of his armor and saw a warning symbol on his HUD come up indicating that his shield was being taxed to their highest limit.

"Operator Chroma, due to circumstance your shields will be quickly depleted should that take hits along with the fact that they will take longer than usual for them to recharge", Ordis inform him, "I recommend caution in your fight."

"Noted", Chroma said, "What can you tell me about Lech Kril?"

"Running analysis", was Ordis reply as Chroma ready his sword, "Analysis complete. Base off previous analysis from Operator Rhino encounter with Lech Kril, it would seem that Lech Kril has upgraded his movement speed to a certain percentage."

"What per-", Chroma started to say before he saw Lech Kril charging toward him with speeds he didn't think was possible for a Grineer his size. Chroma barely had time to dodge a downward swing of his hammer, the metal coming within a inch of his armor, before he spun around and counter with a horizontal slash to the lieutenant's mid-section only to have the blow block by the shaft of the hammer, Lech Kril wielding the heavy hammer as graceful as it was a tree branch. The Grineer lieutenant than proceed to swing his it over his head and sideways at Chroma's head once more only to feel nothing but thin air as the dragon of the Tenno flips backward and land a couple feet away.

"Lech Kril as upgraded his speed by at least one hundred and ten percent", Ordis finish.

"Really? I didn't notice", Chroma nearly growled as he watched Lech Kril raise Brokk high above his head.

"Grineer immortality begins with the strike of my hammer!", he screams as he brings it down on the ground, creating a mini-quake in the process as a wave of sharpen ice spikes were sent toward Chroma along the ground, " ** _ICE WAVE!_** "

Chroma first instinct was to jump back as fast as he could manage and for a brief moment, it worked…..

Until he realizes that the ice wasn't slowing down and if anything it was gaining speed. He quickly veers off to the right in hopes the attack would merely go by him but he briefly catches the movement of Lech Kril swinging his hammer to the right and the ice spikes trail move right toward Chroma, who was once more on the backfoot of trying to escape.

"Operator Chroma, it would seem that Lech Kril can control the direction of his ice attacks with his hammer and that the ice must be at an extremely freezing temperature to survive on Mercury's surface. I suggest you- _break that fucking tool over his head-_ dislodge the weapon from his grasp.", Ordis said.

"Give me a moment", Chroma said as he noticed incoming fire was now raining down on his position from various locations by the Grineer squads. Now while Chroma had the fourth most armor on his warframe behind Valkyr, Nidus, and Atlas, even he could be brought down easily by multiple attacks without aid, especially since he couldn't rely on shields seeing how they were already at their limit with the heat. Add the fact, that he wasn't using his ice energy to augment his defense and you knew that he wasn't going to last long.

"Would it kill you two ladies, and I use that term loosely, to give me some cover fire while I handle the majority of the leg-work?", he all but screamed into his integrated comm link, "I can't do everything myself!"

"My, how rude he is", Mesa commented as she took out her Soma and laid down suppression fire on the Grineer squad to Chroma left up on the cliffs, while Cressa Tal and her remaining squad exchange gunfire with the squad on his right, "You think the guy could be a little nicer about it."

"I know, right", Cressa Tal agreed, "Hey, by the way, where is the rest of ya'll crew? I doubt Lotus just send the two of you here."

"The rest of them are attacking the outpost from the other side in an attempt to trap Vor while also taking out the anti-craft guns", Mesa informed Cressa Tal.

"And when did they land exactly?", Cressa Tal asks.

"Ordis?", Mesa asks the A.I.

"The remaining Tenno landed ahead of schedule and have been on the ground for exactly four minutes", Ordis answered before going quiet, "Sadly though, I seem to have lost contact with them."

Chroma lets out a fiery **_Spectral Scream_** that stops Lech Kril **_Ice Wave_** in its track and turns it into an evaporating puddle before responding to Ordis statement.

"What do you mean you lost contact with them?!", Chroma screamed, "There's over thirty of them!"

"That's just it Operator Chroma, something seems to be jamming their signals. I'm still receiving all vital signs green but they seem to be slightly panicking and Excalibur's signs show of one who is in heavy close quarters combat, his energy flow signals seems to have been blocked off as well. I'm patching you and Operator Mesa into their communication traffic now."

Mesa listens in to the traffic while Chroma continued to duel with Lech Kril, who had now close the gap between them and was unleashing a fury of blows onto the Tenno who was forced to use his giant sword as nothing more than a shield to survive.

"Excalibur….(static)…holding…..Trinity needs protecting! It's coming our way!….Frost!….Slow it down! Take down, Vor!… Get out of the way!…. Inaros is down!...Prime!…. Prime!", was all she could make out through the noise.

" _Prime?",_ Mesa thought, " _What's this thing_ _called_ _"Prime"?_ _Also, is that swords clashing I hear in the background? Ordis did indicate that Excalibur may be in heavy close quarters combat, but Lech Kril is here and Vor is nowhere close to matching Excalibur in swordsmanship, therefore there is no one around who should be giving Excalibur such a hard time."_

She had no time to dwell on these thoughts before her HUD starting suddenly acting up. It scrambled and darken for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"What the hell?", Mesa wondered aloud.

"Mesa! Do your HUD just start acting up?", Chroma called out to her as he ducks a hammer swing to his head.

"Yeah, yours too?", Mesa asks.

"Yep", as he parries a swing, "Ordis?"

"Something is interfering with your signals as well", Ordis explained, "I suggest arwtfdaafdsafgsdf", as his voice started to scramble and then went dead.

"Ordis?", Mesa wondered as she drew snipertron and headshot three Grineers, "Ordis, you there?".

Out of the corner of her eye on the other side of the battlefield, she sees a black blur streak by. Bringing her gun to bear she zeros in on that location only to see nothing more than five dead Grineer soldiers, their corpses all torn up and some of them were cleanly cut in half.

" _Wasn't that squad just firing upon one of the Steel Meridian units?",_ Mesa thought before hearing Cressa Tal yelling over her comms.

"Bravo, come in! Bravo, respond! Is their anyone over there?!", Cressa she screamed before howling in frustration, "I can't reach Bravo squad! No one's responding!"

"What about everyone else?", Mesa asks as she combed the area, never relaxing her guard. Once again she barely catches a black blur streak by, but by the time she tries to get her sight on it, it was once again gone, " _What the hell is going on?"_

"Charlie, come in!", Cressa Tal tried, "Alpha, report! Delta, get me a sitrep! Is there anyone still out there?!"

Suddenly, screams of pain and horror came pouring into the comm link…

"Cressa Tal, get out of here! Whatever it is, it's-AHHHHH!"

"What the fuck?!", Cressa Tal cursed, "Bityio, what's going on?! Bityio!"

"Why is the sound of gunfire decreasing?", Chroma asks he brought his sword to bear down upon Lech Kril only to have it block once again by the shaft of Brokk. Now he and the famous Grineer war hero were locked in a pushing contest of strength and it was one that Chroma knew he wasn't going to win as it was taking everything he got just to keep from being flung backward.

Without warning, alarms started going off in his mind as his Effigy, Aforitos, was suddenly mentally screaming for him to get out the way and he only did that whenever he was in serious danger from an attack he couldn't see coming. Without skipping a beat, Chroma ducks down and rolls to his left just as a black streak goes flying over him into Lech Kril. When Chroma recovers a second later and looks over at Lech Kril ready for another bout, he lets out an audible gasp as his eyes widen in shock.

There, in an ever-growing pool of his own blood was the mangled body of Lech Kril. His hammer laid a good five feet from him, a deep gash in its metal. His left arm had been taken completely off, severed all the way from the shoulder and laid next to his broken left leg. Miraculously, he was somehow still alive as he was literally crawling toward Brokk with his one good arm, shouting curses at the Tenno the whole time.

"All squads! Focus your fire on the Tenno scum!", he ordered, only to realize a moment later the same thing that Chroma himself just noticed….

That only he, Chroma, Mesa, Cressa Tal, and her remaining squad, were the only ones still standing in the immediate vicinity.

"What the hell is going on?", Chroma asks aloud as he takes a defensive stance with his **_Tiamat's Wrath_** , "Ordis, come in. Ordis, are you there?", Chroma calls into his comm link while scanning the area.

"I can't raise him either", Mesa adds, "Something is jamming out Ordis. Whoever is doing this must at least have Orokin level-"

Mesa catches movement out of her left eye and turns to fire at it. Due to her rapid trigger finger, she was able to let off three rounds at the black blur coming straight at her from over twenty yards away….

And could only watch in horror as it dodges the first two and deflects the last one with a blood red object.

"Oh, shi-", was all she had time to say before the blur was upon her and she received a powerful backhand that sent her flying over the rock and landing on the other side of it on her side.

"Who the fuck are you?!", Cressa Tal screamed as she brings her gun to her hip and unleashes a full clip on the attacker, only to have every single round deflected away by the mysterious being in a flash of red.

"The flying fuck?", Cressa Tal curses as she suddenly feels a tremendously sharp pain go through her right shoulder as she realizes that the attacker in the span of less than a second had just pierced her armor as though it was paper. She lets out an agonizing scream that echoes throughout the area as she was lifted up by the weapon still in her shoulder and flung aside like a rag-doll, hitting the wall of the nearby cliff with a resounding bang.

"My fucking head is ringing", Mesa complained as she came to, "What the hell just hit me?"

" ** _I AM YOUR RECKONING!",_** a voice thunders next to her, overwhelming her warframe's audio sensors, prompting Mesa to turn over on her back with her Akvasto drawn, but it was too late…

The last thing she saw was a glowing blood red two-prong sword hovering above her head and the words it announced send shivers throughout her body...

" ** _So this is the reason Natah turned her back on me and her mission. I can't tell what's more pathetic, you or my daughter's decision."_**

And with that, the sword propels itself forward.

 **A/N: You already know who this is and as you can tell, he gives no fucks who you are. Lech Kril was never supposed to be the main opponent for Chroma, at least not this chapter.**

 **With the whole Chroma stats, they're based off the Warframe wiki in the comparison chart. Going off max level 30, Chroma has the fourth highest ARMOR not counting primes. As I stated when Chroma first landed his shields were already being taxed so he was more worried about his armor holding up then his shields.**

 **Also, Stalker does have War but he isn't Shadow Stalker yet.**


	3. The Dragon and The Gunslinger (Mesa 3)

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait, other stories and personal life got in the way. Also, I had a Warframe dry spell for a while and I'm now just getting back into it with the Fortuna update. So here how it's going to go. Every female warframe will get at least three chapters dedicated to themselves. But this is all one giant storyline so it will all be connected.**

 **Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want and drop me a PM if you have an idea for a chapter.**

 **The Dragon and The Gunslinger**

 **(Mesa)**

 **CLANK**

Mesa is bewildered by the fact that the deadly sword that she was sure was going to end her life was now being held back a mere inch from her forehead by Chroma's Dynasty Galatine as the Dragon Tenno was currently standing in front of her, locking blades with the unknown assailant.

"If...you..would...be...so...kind!", Chroma struggles to spit out as it was taking every ounce of his strength just to hold back the blade and even then felt his knees start to buckle, "Do something!"

Mesa kicks out to her left and sprays a full clip of her Soma into the shadowy figure, who vanishes from sight and appears on a cliff behind the Tenno duo. Both Chroma and Mesa's radars were able to pinpoint his location and both of them turn around, Mesa bringing her gun to bear as she reloads mid-spin. Immediately upon bringing her sight upon their attacker, she noticed that he had once again vanished from sight.

"Where he go?", both the Dragon and Gunslinger ask themselves as they began scanning the area but to no avail.

Without warning, something reflected the sunlight into the Tenno's eyes from above and both Mesa and Chroma turn their heads skyward just in time to see their shadowy foe descend fast toward them.

" _ **None can escape my vengeance!",**_ he bellows as he brings his sword down on top of Mesa's head once again.

Chroma had less than a second to think. Despite the short distance between him and Mesa he knew he wasn't going to make it time to push her out of the way, so he did the only thing that seemed logical.

He used the flat of his sword to simply knock the Gunslinger Tenno away.

Mesa didn't know what to be more surprise over. The fact that Chroma used his huge sword to knock her out of the path of the attacker blade, the fact that she might have a few broken ribs or the fact that despite being able to dodge the brunt of the attack, the tip of their enemy's blade manage to leave a deep gash going down the right side of her helmet. Luckily her suit's computer system tells her that her warframe integrity had not been breached but her right visual visor was damage beyond current repair.

 _ ***The Orokin scientists that made the warframe suits were the brightest in the empire and knew that sometimes unexpected events happen on the battlefield. Therefore they install a system that if the armor and shields were penetrated during the course of a mission and an actual breach occurred in the warframe suit a special second set of shields kick on within the warframe that kept the outer environment from entering the warframe. Though this was only a temporarily solutions along with the fact that these shields were much weaker than their combat orient counterpart, and they drew power from the operator's personal energy.***_

Chroma kept spinning after he knocked Mesa away, hoping to catch his foe off-guard and hit him from behind after he landed on the ground. But the attacker must have anticipated this action as he brought his sword over the top of his head and behind him, blocking _**Tiamat's Wrath**_ in the process with a resounding clank.

" _ **I was expecting more of a challenge from you, but so far all I have found was disappointment",**_ the attacker says before pushing Chroma away.

Chroma regains his balances and brings his sword up to the ready, "Who are you?"

" _ **I am the instrument of the Emperor who will exact his revenge on those that betray him. I will prowl the stars without rest until I have brought all of you Tenno to justice. I'll watch your traitorous kind every move until I snuff out your last breath",**_ the foe explains.

"So you're a stalker of some kind, then?" Chroma says after a moment.

" _ **If that is the name you which to call**_ _ **the architect**_ _ **your inevitable death, so be it."**_

" _Okay…_.Stalker, do you think you're being a little overconfident?", Chroma questioned.

" _ **I don't fear a dead man",**_ the being now known as the Stalker states as he suddenly latches his sword to his back and draws a black bow notch with a blood red tip arrow, " _ **I will make you feel endless dread!"**_

He lets loose the arrow which flies at such an unexpected accelerated speed that Chroma didn't have time to properly react to it as it impales him deep with his left shoulder and sends him flying backward into the rock formation behind him.

A scream of great pain escapes from his mouth as he found himself being held off the ground by the arrow itself that was imbedded into the solid rock.

" _ **Pity",**_ Stalker says as he draws another arrow back, " _ **I was sincerely hoping for some sport before I kill you."**_

" _ **Finish him already!",**_ Chroma heard the sword on Stalker's back yell, " _ **So that we may continue our hunt!"**_

Stalker said nothing as he pulled his arrow back….

" _ **Peacemaker!"**_ he suddenly hears and his arrow is shot out of his bow. He turns to his left and sees Mesa, laying down fire at him with her Regulators.

"Hard to do this with just one good eye and possible cracked ribs!", Mesa screams as she continues to unload on the Stalker while Chroma was now given time to free himself.

He had one hand around the shaft of the arrow and within his warframe, he was gritting his teeth.

"This is going to suck. This is going to suck. This is going to suck", he told himself as he focuses his energy and breaks off the arrow's shaft, " _ **Blazing Elemental Ward!"**_

Roaring flames engulf Chroma, increasing his warframe and actual body physical health by a marginal degree. Using great strength he places his hands and feet at the rock behind him and pushes off, vaulting himself forward and leaving the arrow stuck in its place. Before he even lands, his now accelerate healing seals up the wound and his suit highly advance technology quickly seals off the entry and exit holes in his armor.

Bringing up his HUD and satisfy with the readings he was getting he once more turn his attention back to the Stalker who was currently busy evading Mesa's attacks.

" _She'_ _s_ _not going to be able to keep that up forever,_ _no doubt her energy levels are getting low",_ Chroma says as he takes off, equipping his Daikyu and notching an arrow that ejected from a special compartment in his warframe's back. With a steely resolve, Chroma was determined to get back in the hunt and prove to the Stalker just who he was messing with.

"Stand still, will ya?! I just want to fill you full of bullets, is that too much to ask?!", Mesa screams as her target continue to either block her bullets with his sword or completely evade them.

This goes on for a few more moments before Mesa's Regulators suddenly cease firing and flip back into their original position.

"What the hell?", Mesa shouts before her HUD starts flashing an "Energy Depleted" sign.

"Crap!", she screams as she now reaches for her Akvasto, which unfortunately she had to reload from her earlier skirmish.

This brought the Stalker just the time he needed.

Chroma was just getting to the proximity of the engagement and had the Stalker dead to rights with his bow drawn all the way back when his prey suddenly vanishes into thin air.

" _Wait a minute, that was Ash's technique, down to the letter",_ Chroma thinks as he remembers seeing the Ninja Tenno do the maneuver while watching him do a training simulation, " _And he always ends up…."_

"Sweet tarnation! Why do I carry a gun that requires me to reload after six shots?!", Mesa screams at herself as she replenishes her guns, she looks up to see where her target went and was shocked to see that he disappear.

" _Where he go?",_ she thought as something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention and she turns her head to see Chroma hauling ass toward her, his bow drawn and ready.

"What the hell is-?", she starts only to stop upon seeing that his bow was aimed directly at her but before she could do anything, Chroma let loose his arrow.

"Shit!", Mesa screams as she ducks down and aims her gun at the Dragon Tenno, only to hear a grunt of pain from behind her. She whips around to see her assailant from earlier standing right behind her with his sword raises above his head ready to strike and Chroma's arrow piercing his left shoulder.

Soon another arrow hits his right shoulder along with a third one lounging itself into his right leg.

" _ **ENOUGH!",**_ the Stalker screams as he uses one hand to yank all three arrows out before throwing them to the ground while raising his sword up with the other, " _ **I will tolerate your existence no more!"**_

Mesa rolls out of the way in time to avoid being cleave down the middle and finds herself next to Chroma who had ditched his bow and had re-draw _**Tiamat's Wrath.**_

Stalker points his blade at Mesa, " _ **You were nothing more than a glorified sniper! Cowardly killing your targets from a distance instead giving**_ _ **them**_ _ **an honorable death in real combat!"**_

He then turns his tip toward Chroma, " _ **You were an unstable**_ _ **lizard**_ _ **who should have been thrown out an airlock!"**_

Mesa speaks to Chroma through their comm-link, "Am I suppose to know who he is?"

"I gave him the name Stalker and he wants to kill us. Other than that, I have no idea who he is", Chroma answers, never taking his eyes off of the Stalker, "He also seems able to pull off Ash's teleport ability, be wary."

"Noted", Mesa says though her curiosity was piqued, "So how are we going to attack him?"

"We're not", Chroma tells her and Mesa turns her head to him.

"What?"

"We're not because he is coming to us like a hunting party attacks the herd", Chroma says as he continues to his eyes trained on the Stalker, "Look at him, he is poised to attack."

Mesa looks backs but all she sees is him standing there with his sword now in front of him pointing straight up to the sky, "What are you talking about? He isn't doing anything!"

Chroma wanted to shake his head but opt not too, "He's preparing himself, calming his mind and body for the battle ahead."

"And how the hell do you know all this?", Mesa wonders.

For the first time, Chroma takes his eyes off the Stalker and looks down at Mesa, "Because it's the same thing I do."

Sudden movement draws the two Tenno's attention back to the Stalker as stabs his sword into the ground and pulls out ten throwing knives, five for each hand. Using their enhance visual sensor from their warframes, Mesa and Chroma are able to see the fine edge they had to them.

"Get ready", Chroma tells his fellow Tenno, "This may be our final battle especially you seeing how the right side of your helmet can't take much more damage; I suggest you keep your guard up."

"Your words of encouragement aren't very encouraging", Mesa lets him know as she draws up her dual pistols.

"Idiots give words of encouragement, I tell people the truth", Chroma replies.

The two parties proceed with their standoff for several seconds, neither one of them making any movement. Chroma with _**Tiamat's Wrath**_ in front of him, Mesa with her Akvasto drawn, fully loaded, and fingers on the triggers, and the Stalker with his ten throwing knives at the ready.

"Psssst!", Mesa calls over the comm-link, "What is he waiting for?"

"An opening", Chroma answers, "A prime opportunity to attack."

"And what exactly would that-?", before she was cut off by…

"EVAC ORDER GIVEN! WE ARE ABORTING THE MISSION! I REPEAT! WE ARE ABORTING THE MISSION! ALL TENNO AND STEEL MERIDIAN'S FORCES ARE TO EVAC FROM THE SURFACE! THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND TRANSPORTS ARE INBOUND!", Excalibur screams as his voice comes over the comm-link and Chroma notices that he sounded winded and in distress.

But there was no time to dwell on such things as the Stalker started his attack, rushing headlong at the duo while flinging his knives at them. Chroma reacts in kind and charges forth, sword at the ready, blocking all of the projectiles that were aim at him while Mesa skillfully shot the remaining ones coming at her out of the air and back-flips away in order to put more space in between her and the Stalker as she draws her snipetron in the process.

Meanwhile, having exhausted his knives the Stalker pulls out a sinister looking black scythe with streams of blood red along its handle and closes the gap between him and Chroma.

" _ **Scythe Style: Reaping Spiral!",**_ he screams as Chroma notices his scythe glowing, signaling a channel weapon. But the dragon of the Tenno had little time to dwell on this as he was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of slashes from above and across his midsection.

" _ **Reclamation!",**_ he hears from the Stalker as Chroma is forced to channel his own sword in order to withstand the swift and powerful blows that were being laid into him.

Stalker's seemingly endless assault is brought to a halt by a by a bullet whizzing by his face, missing him by mere millimeters. He disengages from Chroma and turns his focus to Mesa who was currently kneeling down while readying another round for her sniper rifle, her aim not impeded whatsoever by the loss of one of her visual sensors. Without waiting for his reaction, she unloads another round at him and the Stalker only had less than half a second to react as he instinctively brings up his scythe to deflect the blow.

" _ **Hate will consume your soul and leave your body a bloody stain on this planet!",**_ as he suddenly throws down a round object, which immediately discharges an electrical wave that manages to somehow scramble Chroma's sensors, leaving him unable to see, hear, or even read his HUD for the time being. The Stalker then goes dashing directly toward Mesa who had just finish reloading and was now taking aim.

"Come get some, you varmint!", Mesa says as she aims down the sight and fires her third round. This time though, the Stalker was prepared and simply moves his head out of the way of the impending shot and continues forward.

"One shot left", Mesa says as she once again focuses her sight down right in the middle of the Stalker's forehead, "But that is all I need."

The trigger was half-way pulled with Mesa sees the Stalker suddenly hurls an object with his free hand at her, impaling itself into her gun sights.

Mesa looks at the objects in question and somehow manages to control her disbelief to a degree, "A shuriken, really? Are you just ripping off Ash at this point?!"

The only reply Mesa gets from the Stalker was a downward slash from his scythe which Mesa is able to block by bringing up her sniper rifle to collide with the handle, stopping the blade from cutting her. Mesa finds herself struggling as she went up against the Stalker's superior strength as it was taking everything she had to hold the scythe back and yet she was still failing to do so as it sunk ever closer to her.

" _ **Your kind was a**_ _ **curse**_ _ **on the empire, using the very gifts the emperor gave**_ _ **to**_ _ **you to kill him!"**_ the Stalker rants, " _ **I will do what the Grineer, Corpus, Infected, and even the Sentinels couldn't and erase your very existence**_ _ **and then I will finish off the dragon that killed the emperor!**_

"Shoot, darling", Mesa chuckles, "For a brooding black armor wearing sort of fellow, you sure do talk a lot."

The Gunslinger Tenno quickly sidesteps to her right, using the Stalker's momentum against him and causing him to go forward and leaving him wide open for the last round of Mesa's sniper rifle.

But finds herself shooting nothing but the ground as the Stalker disappears right before her very eyes.

Remembering that she was basically facing a rip-off of the Ninja Tenno, Mesa quickly ducks down and rolls sideways, narrowly avoiding a swipe from behind. Upon finishing her movement, she gets up and draws her Soma but by then it was too late as the Stalker was already upon her and she barely had time to react as the blade of the scythe pierces through her Soma with relative ease and once again stops short of Mesa's helmet. Thinking quickly she twists her gun and is able to wrangle the scythe out of the Stalker's hand but seeing now her gun was useless she switches to her Akvasto.

But if she thought the Stalker was going to give her the time to do that she was highly optimistic. For the second time today, she was suddenly backhand a great distance and ends up not far from Chroma who was currently still battling the effect of the Stalker's device as he was hunch over on his knees while staring at the ground.

Suddenly over the comm-link, she hears a voice coming through the static.

"Operator Mesa! Operator Chroma! Come in! Operator Mesa! Operator Chroma! Come in!", she hears Ordis' voice scream.

The Gunslinger Tenno draws her dual pistols while keeping an eye on her foe who was in the process of ripping his scythe out of her Soma, tearing it apart in the process.

" _Going to take me weeks to gather the material to create a new one",_ Mesa thought as she answers Ordis' distress signal, "Operator Mesa here!"

"Operator Mesa, thank the stars! I have been trying to contact you and Operator Chroma for some time! The Lotus has called for an emergency evac! All Tenno and Stee-!"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard all that! We were just a little too busy to answer!", Mesa cuts him off.

"Where is Operator Chroma? I'm getting a reading that his equipment is seventy percent offline", Ordis claims.

"Look, long story short, we are currently engaging an unknown assailant! Chroma is currently out of action and I'm barely holding my own against what we have dubbed the Stalker.", Mesa tells him as she draws her Akvasto on her target who was now just standing there menacingly but still keeping his distance, "I'm going to send you the last known coordinates of Cressa Tal, but we're going to need immediate assistance!"

Mesa watches as the Stalker then puts his scythe away and draws his bow, notching an arrow while looking at the Tenno, "I repeat! Immediate assistance!"

Mesa crotches down in order to dodge an arrow that the Stalker shot at her head and instantly react back with shots of her own. A few of them hit their mark but fail to do anything to him.

" _Could always go for my snipetron again but_ _I can't use the sight,_ _I would have to reload, I, and at this distance using it would be suicidal",_ she told herself as she continues to unleash a hail of bullets as the Stalker once again made a mad dash toward her, deflecting everything coming his way with his scythe.

"I am going to mount his head on the wall of my quarters and use his armor as target practice!", Chroma growls as his system reboot was finally finished and he was finally able to see and hear everything clearly once again.

And not a moment too soon as he looks over to his right just in time to witness the Stalker somehow pull Mesa toward him from a distance and impale her through her armor with his scythe directly through her chest.

A thousand thoughts were running through Mesa's mind at this very moment as the blade of the Stalker's scythe slid out of her and she drops her guns as she fell to the ground, the intense pain going through her body more than she could bear. What pulled her over to him? Was she going to die here? Was the Stalker going to let her suffer a slow agonizing death as she bled out or grant her a quick and painless one? Why did she choose this mission of all missions not to install a Rejuvenation mod in her warframe?

A screen pops up on her HUD displaying electrocardiography that was showing a near flatline along with warning signs.

" _Damn, guess I'm not going back to the plains of Mars anymore for hunting practice",_ as she fondly remembers her days back before that damn ship arrived at her colony all those centuries ago. Back when she, her brothers, and her father would go hunting across the Red Planet's plains while her mom and sister made supper. The memories started to become blurry as she lost more and more blood.

" _Never again",_ as she watches the Stalker stand over her and lift and stretch out his right hand. A moment later, his sword flies into his hand and he hefts it high over his head.

" _ **The stars will be a better place**_ _ **when you are all gone!",**_ he states as he once again brings the sword crashing down on top of her.

 **CLANK!**

And once more Chroma is there to stop it with his own while Mesa feels a sudden warmth wash over her and she felt that a small semblance of life was put back into her. She watches the back of Chroma as he squares off against the Stalker in a deadly sword lock and she could see flames flowing off of his body and onto the ground around her.

Chroma was snorting out flames from his nostrils as he held his ground against the Stalker, their two great swords pressing up against each other blade to blade. Within his warframe, he found himself sweating even with his coolant system working overtime.

" _ **Your death**_ _ **is the one I**_ _ **will relish most of all above all others;**_ _ **f**_ _ **or I saw what you did that day!",**_ the Stalker says while the Dragon Tenno gives him silences in return.

The two break their deadlock and the Stalker swings at Chroma mid-section, fully intend on cutting him in half. Chroma already deduces that his the Stalker's scythe could pierce Mesa's armor then no doubt his sword could as well. The smart thing to do would be for him to jump out of the way of the strike and put some breathing room between him and such a dangerous foe.

 **CLANK!**

But unfortunately for him, his flames were the only thing keeping Mesa alive and stable as he knocks the sword away and delivers a downward strike of his own in response. Stalker skillfully catches his attack down the center of his own blade and twists it out of his hand causing Chroma to drop it or risk it breaking completely. But Chroma was the type to see an opportunity and take advantage of it as he grabs the Stalker's wrists and hit him with a full frontal _**Spectral Scream**_ of fire at point blank range and the desired effect was achieved.

The Stalker jumps back, breaking Chroma's grip and getting a good way from the Dragon Tenno's flames which gave Chroma time to draw Ferrox and delivers a charge shot straight into his chest. This amazingly brought him down to one knee but not for very long as he strikes the ground in anger and quickly stands back up, his sword at the ready.

" _ **I am your reckoning!",**_ as he launches into a dead sprint toward Chroma.

"Yes, you already said that", the Tenno replies as he hurls his Ferrox at the charging foe but fell short of hitting his target.

" _ **Pathetic!",**_ the Stalker shouts as he races bye it and prepares to leap at the seemingly defenseless Tenno.

" _ **Suf-",**_ was all he got out before coming to a screeching halt as his forward motion was completely taken away from and he began getting pulled backward. He looks over his shoulder to see that the weapon that Chroma threw at him only a moment before was generating what seem to be an electric field of some kind that was holding him in place and pulling him toward it.

" _ **What trickery is this-AGGGHHHHH!",**_ as a surge of electricity ran through the course of his body.

"Have to hand it to the Corpus, they don't slouch on their weapons technology division", Chroma said as focus more energy into his _**Elemental Ward.**_ He was able to link up with Mesa's own HUD in order to monitor her vital signs and saw that she was hanging on by a thread but she was stable thanks to his flames.

" _Someone needs to get here fast",_ he told himself as he once more drew Daikyu and notch an arrow, " _I only have so much energy and the Ferrox isn't going to hold him forever."_

The Stalker was enduring the continuous pain of a lightning bolt coursing through his body while Chroma catches his breath.

"I just about have had enough of this day", he says as he draws the bow and takes aim at the Stalker's head. For all of his toughness and durability Chroma doubt that he could take a fully-charged shot to the head. But as he came to the full extension of the bowstring and lines the arrow up with its target he is suddenly bombarded with a wave of memories.

Glimmering hallways.

A bloody corpse adorned in fancy imperial garments.

People screaming.

Guns blazing.

Excalibur slashing through countless guards.

Each Tenno escaping into a pod before being launch into the stars in a dozen different directions.

So great was the pressure from these memories that Chroma collapse on the ground, breathing heavily.

"What the hell was-?", he starts out before hearing the sound of running footsteps getting closer. Reaching for _**Tiamat's Wrath**_ which was still nearby, he grabs the handle and brings the great-sword above his head just in time to block the blade of the Stalker's sword, a resounding clash echoing throughout the area.

" _ **You miss your opportunity, you won't get another!",**_ the Stalker screams as he began to press downward and even on one knee, Chroma found himself being hard-press. It was at that moment that three shots ring out and his Stalker in the side, forcing him to disengage his attack and jump back. Chroma looks over at the source of the gunfire and sees Mesa still laying on the ground with one of her Akvasto in her hand, shakily wildly while still pointed at the direction where the Stalker previously was.

"Got….ya...ya….varmint", she says one last time before passing out but Chroma has no time to see if she was okay beyond her vital sign reading as the Stalker was now ready to renew his attacks.

Or he would have if three of Steel Meridian transports didn't come flying overhead carrying the rest of the Tenno including Excalibur and Trinity. The Healing Tenno jumps off and lands next to Mesa, immediately applying her energy in healing Mesa while the Swordsmen Tenno lands next to Chroma and draws his Dragon Nikana. With this, the first two awaken Tenno two now stood together against the Stalker.

"Who's he?", Excalibur questions.

"He has earned the nickname "The Stalker", from Mesa and me. He's extremely strong and dangerous", Chroma answers just as he was noticing something off about Excalibur's warframe.

And by off he meant that it was nearly cut to shreds with long streaks which could only be done by a sword scattered all over his armor.

"What happen to you?", Chroma asks and for a moment he receives no answer.

"A Prime did this...my prime", the Alpha Tenno answer begrudgingly.

"Your what?"

"I'll tell you later", was all Chroma heard, "For now let's deal with him."

Chroma lets out a snort before turning his attention back to the Stalker who was now trembling with rage. As powerful as he was not even he could hope to win out against all of the Tenno at once.

" _ **It seems we will have to continue this on another day, dragon! Until then, be wary of shadows!",**_ as the Stalker says as he teleported away once more, this time with such power that he leaves a small crater in his wake along with a shock Chroma and Excalibur.

Their shock was only temporarily as Ordis came blasting over the team's comm-link.

"Multiple Grineer warships and transports are inbound, I suggest immediate evac from the planet. The Orbiter is standing by to accept all ships Tenno and Steel Meridian alike but you must hurry."

Excalibur sheathes his blade, "Let's get out of here", as he turns to walk to the transport that just landed. Chroma stays still for just a little while longer, eyeing the crater where the Stalker disappeared from.

"What's going on?", he says to no one in particular but Excalibur overheard him anyway.

"Changes, Chroma. The war has changed, new players have enter the field, and we're on the back-foot now", he answers.

 _ **Back onboard the Ordis**_

She examines the helmet with a sniper's gaze; the deep indention running along the right side over the eye catches her attention, " _One swipe did that. One swipe was less than a few millimeters from cutting through highly built Orokin armor and ending my life on that hellish planet._

She then touches the middle of her chest armor and feels the hole where the Stalker's scythe impale her at, a shudder going through her body and she once again remember how close she came to death.

 _"And to think of all the people, I have him to thank for saving...",_ she suddenly stops as her mind drifts toward the Dragon Tenno.

" _Why?",_ Mesa thought as she finishes up linking up into her warframe and finally donning her scarred helmet behind the shielded curtain, " _Why did he do that?"_

As she limps out into the main infirmary room of the Orbiter, she sees that it was a frenzy of movement at the moment as Trinity, the head medical specialist, alongside Oberon, Wisp, and Equinox, were doing their best to treat the wounded Tenno and surviving Grineer of Steel Meridian. Luckily for everyone here those four, mainly Trinity, are kept in the rear during missions as it was protocol unless absolutely necessary. In fact, Trinity's survival was also sometimes deemed a higher priority than the main objective, though this was also the main reason why she rarely went out on missions.

It also helped that a number of Tenno also had the _**Rejuvenation**_ mod on their warframes, so that help minimizes the overalls causalities.

Anyway, Mesa notices Chroma was mediating within the midst of the group using his _**Blazing**_ _ **Elemental Ward**_ to stabilize the more seriously injured until they could be seen. Mesa's hawk-like eyes were trained on him as he retains his cross-legged levitating form as a rolling wave of dancing flames radiated off him onto those nearby yet they did not burn, more so the flames cleanse their bodies of the wounds inflicted on them.

Laying the closest to Chroma, basking in his healing flames, was the Void Tenno, Harrow, and the Berserker Tenno, Valkyr.

"It would seem….that once again...I'm in your debt, Dragon Tenno", the master of the void voices and Mesa sworn she saw Chroma's body tense up.

"We have gone over this before, Harrow", Chroma spoke, "It's Excalibur you owe a debt too if you feel you must own one, not I. He was the one who freed you from your prison."

"Yet….you assisted him. And before that, on that forsaken ship….", Harrow began before Chroma cut him off.

"Enough! Quit talking and conserve your strength until Trinity is able to see you", Chroma advised as he turns his attention toward the Berserker Tenno, who only stares back at him in silence, "Do you have something to add to this as well?"

Valkyr merely grunts as she turns her head away, but not before growling at a couple of Steel Meridian survivors who got a little too nosy for their own good.

" _Fire that burns his enemies, heals wounds, and even boosts health. Ice that increases his durability, slows his enemies and deflects bullets. A poison that somehow increases his stamina and corrodes his foes. Last, but not least, lightning that allows him to shock those around him while modifying his own shields. This is not even counting_ _ **Effigy,**_ _ **Vex Armor**_ _, or his_ _ **Spectral Scream**_ _. I guess Ordis wasn't kidding when he stated that Chroma was more than likely the most versatile of all the Tenno",_ Mesa thought as she recalled the conversation she had with the Ship A.I. that day she was on bridge watch, chatting with it to pass the time. The two of them got on the discussion on who was the best Tenno in regards to certain categories and safe to say it got…interesting.

In terms of who was the fastest, Gauss had the highest unaltered speed, but when Volt used his energy to boost himself,... well let's just say that even the Lotus is waiting for those two to race it out. Most durable went to Valkyr, who surpassed even Rhino in that field while the Tank Tenno himself held the title of being the most physically strongest Tenno though that is constantly being contested by Hildryn and Atlas. They went about this topic for hours before Ordis brought up the fact that almost every Tenno was lacking in an area and had to use mods to compensate for them….except Chroma, who only had to use his own abilities to boost himself.

" _I could only imagine how powerful he would be if he could change elements on the fly",_ Mesa thinks as she watches Trinity finally get over to where Chroma was mediating.

"Thank you, Chroma. The medical bots and I will take it from here", the Healer Tenno tells him to which Chroma merely nods and returns himself to a standing position, his flames disbursing upon doing so.

"I'll see my way out then", he says as he begins to walk away only to be stopped by Trinity as she holds up a hand.

"I would like to take a closer look at the wounds you sustain", Trinity states.

"There's no need to worry about that, you have more pressing matters to attend to", Chroma assures her, "If possible, you could medically clear me, I'll be on my way in tracking down information about this "Stalker" and his warframe like suit."

Trinity, who many suspected was the oldest female among the Tenno, and one of the oldest overall, only stare at Chroma for a moment before agreeing.

"Very well then", she says as she turns around, "I do have more important issues to deal with and you do have something of a self-healing factor, but-"

Trinity now had Chroma full attention…

"Ordis, I'm placing Operator Chroma on temporarily suspensions from all sorties until he is medically clear by me or by the Lotus, understood?", she declares.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity", the A.I. responds, "Placing Operator Chroma's landing craft on temporarily lock-down and restricting him from sorties. This restriction can only be removed with the Lotus' approval. I will inform the Lotus about this decision upon the conclusion of her - _screaming match/catfight/bitching fest-_ debrief with Cressa Tel."

"What are you doing?", Chroma damn near growled and Mesa could once again feel a surge of heat spring up in the room, drawing everyone's attention to the two Tenno.

"As the Head Medical Specialist onboard the Orbiter, I am declaring you medically unfit for action. You are forbidden from taking part of any missions until I deem you fit or the Lotus herself overrules me and once I explain my case to her, I'm positive she will see things my way", Trinity explains as she turns around, not the least bit faze by the mounting heat that was emitting off of Chroma.

"My physical wounds do not inhibit me from carrying out sorties", Chroma counters.

"This isn't about your physical wounds and you know it. You will report back to the medical bay at noon tomorrow and we will begin your rehabilitation", the Healer Tenno tells him as she makes her way over to Harrow to begin examining him, "Good day, Chroma."

Mesa spots Chroma's hands curl up into fists and wonders for a moment if he was thinking about attacking the healer. As she watches his shoulders heave up and down along with the Dragon Tenno flexing his fingers and taking deep breaths, Mesa couldn't help but respect the fact that Trinity wasn't even fazed by these actions.

"After everything I have done today, this is the thanks I get?", Chroma growled.

"I am fully aware of your actions today and I'm sure your valiant efforts are appreciated by those who owe you their lives. But I have been monitoring your vital signs for the past few moments along with the ones taken during the course of the mission and you seem a little too eager to get on with hunting this "Stalker" as you call him. It's almost as if you have something personal at stake and I can not allow you to hunt down a such a dangerous foe without proper examination", Trinity calmly states.

Chroma's rage had risen to the point of being uncontrollable when a hand touches his shoulder and he feels a passive calm try to take over him. He was still seething on the inside but now his mind was no longer completely clouded by anger and he realizes that the Lotus along with the other Tenno would not take kindly to him being so aggressive to their main healer.

He still turns around though to face the whoever who had the galls to get this close to him while he was in this state of mind.

"Ah, the Coward Tenno returns", the Dragon Tenno hisses while Baruuk shows no signs of irritation from the insult, "Thought you were brokering a trade deal with Solaris United while the rest of us were actually do something useful."

"I had returned earlier than expected from my mission", the Pacifistic Tenno explain while maintaining his hands in a prayer position, not at all frightened by the anger the Dragon Tenno was emitting, "It seems that it good that I did or else violence would have erupted within the confines of our own safe haven."

Chroma lets out a dark chuckle "Safe? Nowhere in this system is safe as long as the Stalker is around."

He then turns to his left and exits the tense compartment, not once looking back.

" _I need answers",_ Mesa tells herself as she begins to tail him through the ship's hallways, keeping her distance for the time being until she felt that the moment was right for her to confront him, which in her mind was when they were far enough away from the rest of the ship's occupants.

As she rounds the corner into the main hallway, she is astonished to find it completely void.

"He just went this way a second ago", she tells herself, "Where did he get along to?"

"Is there a reason why you're following me?", a voice from behind her ask and on pure instinct the Gunslinger Tenno whirls around, her hands going to her dual pistols as she grips the handles…

And that is where she found her hands staying as Chroma's hands tighten around her, preventing them from drawing.

"Usually, this would be the time I would ask why are you still arm up here on the Orbiter when everyone else who was able kept their weapons in their landing craft", he began as he stares directly at her, "But at this very moment, I do not care. Once again, why are you following me?"

All that could be heard was the hum of the ship between the two Tenno.

"I'm going to take your silence as my cue to leave", Chroma says as he lets go of Mesa's hands and began to walk past her.

"Wait!", Mesa shouted out as he only got a few steps behind her, "I want answers from you!"

Chroma stops in his tracks and glances over his shoulder at the Gunslinger Tenno, "And they say I need to work on how I talk to people."

"Why did you do all that?", Mesa asks as Chroma turns around.

"I'm going to assume you're talking about what transpired back on Mercury…." Chroma says only to rear back a little when Mesa snaps at him.

"You know damn well that's what I'm talking about, suga! For someone who was trying to kill me earlier, you sure stuck your neck out for me three times too many today!", the Gunslinger Tenno screams but this only cause Chroma to look at her funny.

"From what I remember I only saved you twice today, both times were me blocking the Stalker's sword attack", he tells her.

"I'm also counting the time you stood your ground against the Stalker so that I would be in the range of your healing flames, damn it! You could have move whenever you wanted but you decided to stay by me to make sure I stay alive!", Mesa explains as she shoves her finger in his face. Surprisingly this didn't put Chroma off although he didn't see the reason for her screaming.

"If you were to die, I would have had to answer to the Lotus, simple as that", Chroma tells her and moves to the side and begins to walk past her. He had gotten just a couple of steps away when he was grabbed by the hand.

"What is it now, Mesa?", he growls without looking back, "I have preparations to do."

Not a word was spoken from the gunslinger.

"I'm not playing this silent game with you again, Mesa. If you have...", Chroma started as he turns to face her.

"I owe you one for saving my life back there, suga", Mesa began as she let go of the Dragon Tenno and reaches for her helmet, "And where I come from we repay our debts or at the very least let the person know that we owe them one."

Chroma watches on as Mesa releases the seals on her helmet and slowly pulls it off and he actually found himself intrigued by what he saw. It was rare for the Tenno to see one another without their helmets on.

Well, that is except for Trinity, who has to conduct individual medical exams on all the Tenno periodically.

In fact, the only other ones that had ever seen his face were Excalibur and Trinity.

Mesa had green eyes that reminded Chroma of the plains he used to cross with his tribe as a child. Her hair was a lighter shade of red than his armor and he saw it was up in a ponytail with braids with a yellow ribbon that was tied to the bottom of it. She had lush pink lips, along with rosy cheeks that were peppered with freckles along with auburn eyebrows and small nose round off the feature of her face and when she smiled her teeth glisten in the ship's hallway lights.

She put her helmet in one hand and reaches out the other to the Dragon Tenno, "My name's Jessie. Jessie Orbal of the old Orokin Olympus colony of Mars."

Chroma looks down at the hand for a moment, saying nothing as the seconds ticked by.

"You're supposed to shake it, Chroma. It's how we did it back at my colony", Mesa/ Jessie said.

"I know what to do, I'm not that primitive", he replies, "It just seems a little much."

"It's not a big deal to save someone's life for you?"

"In my tribe, everyone was each other brother, father, sister, or mother even if you weren't related by blood. You were expected to put your life on the line to save your fellow tribe member, even if they were someone you didn't like", Chroma explain, "What I did today I would have done for any one of the Tenno for as much I loathe the lot of you, you are now the closest thing I have to a tribe."

Chroma then reaches out and takes the Gunslinger Tenno's hand, "But my tribe also respected customs and traditions, even if they weren't our own. My name is Aguu Anchin. It means "Great Hunter" in my people's language, but it was Aganc for short."

The two Tenno share a short shake before Mesa/Jessie spoke again, "Umm, no offense, Aganc, but this only really works if I'm able to look you in your eyes."

Chroma/Aganc lets out a growl in annoyance but reaches up for his helmet, "You're lucky my people respect tradition", as he now undid his seals and pull his helmet off and Mesa/Jessie suddenly found herself getting extremely hot within her suit, almost as hot as the planet she was just on, as she looked upon the Dragon Tenno's real face.

 ** _A/N:_ You didn't honestly think I was going to give you Chroma's face right off the bat, did you? Before you say it, yes, Mesa's appearance I got from Jessie of Toy Story. Now usually I would have a poll out for who you want next, but how about you guys PM or leave a review on which female warframe you want to see Chroma interact with next.**

 **Also, my personal take on the Orokin Empire within this story. There are from 200 to nearly as high as 540 possible moons or moon-like objects within our solar system. I like to think that not every colony was highly advance and that some were backwater and primitive to a degree. So while a couple of the Tenno will be coming from the more advanced parts of the empire some like Chroma and Mesa will be from what was consider backwater cultures.**

 **Also, Baruuk isn't a coward but it's just the way Chroma see him because of his nature. Chroma comes from a background where everyone pulls their weight and seeing that Baruuk being sent on diplomacy missions instead of action ones rubs him the wrong way.**

 **Also, Wisp has actual feet. Deal with it.**

 **Aguu Anchin is Mongolian for "Great Hunter" which I had to look up seeing how the background I have for Chroma is similar to their lifestyle**

 **Also remember, please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want and drop me a PM if you have an idea for a chapter.**


	4. Excalibur's Log: Stalker's Incidents

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.**

 **A/N: This was sent to me by the writer "Militarist" (ID code: 5634584), who help me realize that while Chroma is the number one target for the Stalker, he won't be the only target. All credit goes to him.**

Excalibur' Log: Stalker's Incidents.

While the Lotus and I continued to find out any information pertaining to these new Prime warframes along with the assassin, Stalker, it should be noted that this doesn't mean that our newest foe has put a hold on his operations. Lately in the past month that Lotus and I have been away from the Orbiter, Ordis have been sending us constant updates on his activities such as:

 _ **Log №1: (Three days after the failed assault on Vor's headquarters)**_

 _ **Stalker attacked Inaros on his way from his solo mission at Grineer's base at the Everest (where Tenno recovered several artifacts of the Orokin Era). After a long gunfight (4 min 21 sec) Inaros emerged victorious though only slightly, breaking Stalker's neuroptics with his Zenith.**_

 _ **Log №2: (This log takes place three days later after the first encounter)**_

 _ **This time Stalker tried to ambush both Inaros and Nova while on their mission to Ceres. They were there to search for Ayatan sculptures and capture the Grineer officer in charge of the bast for interrogation. Stalker ambushed them when they split up (Nova walked into the vault to search for sculptures after completing the secondary objective while Inaros guarded its entrance). He quickly closed the distance and destroyed the assault rifle with a strike from his sword... and then Inaros put in motion the "Arca Titron" thunder hammer he just got created at the foundry a day before. In the following duel Stalker prove to be the better combatant in close quarters combat, however, inflicting multiple wounds to the Desert Tenno, despite having his own left leg and several of his ribs broken by the hammer. It was only through the intervention of Nova, who overheard the commotion and return that the Stalker withdrew. It took two days in the medical ward for Inaros to heal from injuries received in the fight, even while using his** **sarcophagus.**_

 **Log №3: (Takes place one week after the second encounter)**

 _ **During the sabotage mission on the Grineer space station, which moved around the Earth, Stalker ambushed team consisting from Inaros, Garuda, and Vauban, choosing the moment when they were divided by the lockdown to attack. He crippled the engineer, nearly killing him and blaming him for the bombing which took many lives of Dax soldiers who protected the Imperial Palace all those millennia ago. Fortunately, Inaros and Garuda were able to save their comrade. (** **My hacking skills saved Vauban - Ordis** **.) After a short gunfight Stalker was injured and decided to retreat, promising to return once more. The mission had to be abandoned: its success depended from Vauban's skills and he wasn't in the proper condition to do his task.**_

After carefully examining these three incidents, I have concluded that the Stalker has mark Inaros as one of his main targets, for reasons that are unknown to me at the moment. I have also concluded that the Stalker must have an advanced healing factor not quite as different Inaros or other Tenno for him to continued to assault our operatives in such a short amount of time, even after incurring devastating injuries. Finally, I have also theorized that he isn't so much as attacking us but probing us for weakness. It's the only explanation to why he is attacking us even when he is outnumbered.

 **A/N: Remember this was sent to me by** **"Militarist" (ID code: 5634584) all credit goes to him. Next chapter in Trinity's arc coming along smoothly.**


	5. Medical Log:The Sentient Tenno

**Disclaimers: I do not own warframe**

 **A/N: First and foremost, I did not write this. This was presented to me by " _gold crown dragon_** _"_ ** _(ID:_** **7483628) from Indonesia, who is basically a beta for me in this story. All credit goes to them. In between arcs, I will introduce logs such as this for Tenno (either male or female) who will play a major role in the next arc, (just because they're male doesn't mean they are going to have a thing for Chroma at the end of the arc, it's just the female Tenno that are going to do that and it's not going to be all of them; though the males may develop a form of respect for the Dragon Tenno). Speaking of which, I might have to release one for Mesa and Chroma himself. Now also realize they won't always be from Trinity but Ordis and Lotus as well and maybe others.**

 **I would like to thank them for sending this to me and encourage others to do so as well.**

[Trinity medical logs]

[ ** _Revenant._** ]

 **The Sentient Tenno**

 **This is Revenant, the returned - the condemned. Harnessing the essence of Eidolon and warrior alike, he mystifies and obliterates his foes.**

 **Revenant serves last rites for the souls he leaves on fire, without a plea for mercy.**

Revenant is by far one of the worst cases I have ever seen, even if I was to go back to my medical days before becoming a Tenno.

Unlike Nidus, who we have partially cure and suppress from his Infested "features" we have no way to control Revenant and his sentient feature. So far we have damaged the medical ward in the hope of finding a cure or suppressant. The few times I have examined him outside of his warframe armor his entire body under it was...terribly transformed, leaving only his face unaffected.

The blood stops being red and has turn into an ethereal blue, he has complained about having severe headaches, hearing voices, and finally, he leaks sentient energy when outside his suit and this has caused multiple instances of lockdown.

( ** _Vauban has constantly been called upon to fix this issue as he has been unofficially declared the engineer of the Orbiter due to his mechanical knowledge._** )

All of his abilities seem to connect with the sentients as well.

According to the footage that has been collected and accounts given by the few Tenno who have work with him...he somehow "dances" with the sentient energy, using it as a beam based weapon.

It may connect to Revenant's youth before Zariman ten-0, back when he was the son of two famous Orokin dancers whose names escapes me, though I did discover through fractures computer records that both his mother and father along with Revenant himself were on board that ship for they were slated to perform for the Royal Family during the celebrations.

Anyway, we are still hoping to find a cure, but one thing is to be certain.

Void exposure weakens his connection to the Sentient at the plains allowing the old Revenant to emerge, the one who is hell-bent on wiping out each and every one of the towering creatures.

On a final note, he repeatedly declares that he is sorry to everyone at Cetus for some reason. This is especially true for Gara, who he has a very deep bond of friendship with.

 ** _Ravaged by Sentient energy, wreathed with eldritch Eidolon essence, the blighted sovereign Revenant subjugates foes through his affliction. Bestow his sacrificial legion haunted dreams, reap unseen, and spill their lifeblood upon the desolate scorched earth_**

[End of log]

 **A/N: Hope you enjoy and once again, thank you, "** ** _gold crown dragon"._**


	6. Lotus' Profile: The Healing Tenno

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe._**

 ** _A/N:_** **Once again, here is another Tenno profile given to me by " _gold crown dragon_** _"_ ** _(ID:_** **7483628) from Indonesia, who is basically a semi-beta for me in this story. All profiles are welcome if you want to send them to me.**

[Lotus' Tenno Logs]

 **[Trinity.]**

 **The Healer Tenno, The Vampire Tenno.**

 ** _This is Trinity, the healer, the equalizer._**

 ** _She_** ** _is a must for any high-stakes mission. She'll save your life._**

She is the oldest of the female tenno and can describe as many things: lifesaver, angel, and vampire, but for herself, she only accepts a single title from the depths of her mind and heart.

Healer for she was a student of the highest acclaim medical school in the Orokin Empire. She was the best of the best and the one who discovered the method of curing the infestation from an individual's body. Back then she dreamt of permanently curing the technocyte virus that ravaged the entire system, but sadly her dream was shattered.

From what she can recall, she was assigned to the Zariman Ten-0 as the ship's head doctor to ensure all of the occupants for the Emperor's Grand Parade were in good health and didn't have any contiguous diseases.

When the incident happened it cause her previous identity to be completely wiped out from the record along with her discoveries, her notes, and her achievements.

 _(Ordis had to go through millions of ancient deleted files just to find mere fragments of her research.)_

Years past since her transformation and yet she still wonder why everything was fated to die yet the Orokin Royalty and Nobility still live.

When she awoke after a millennium of sleep she took up coat of the healer once more, this time alongside her fellow operators as the Head Medical Specialist onboard the Orbiter. She has never ceased in her search for extending life, continuing her research from centuries ago whenever she has downtime from missions. She doubled her efforts upon meeting Inaros, The Desert Tenno, who had managed to do what suppose to be impossible, becoming near immortal without the aid of kuva for he was one of the few Tenno to not go into cryosleep after the palace assault.

In her mind, the Origin system has changed and with it comes new questions and new answers, ones she hope will finally help her reach her dream.

 _[Additional notes]_

 ** _Those who tend to look down on her due to her profession usually don't live long enough to regret it. Her list of combat accomplishments includes:_**

 _Having the eleventh highest body count among the Tenno beating out even Mesa._

 _The tenth highest number of headshot kills with a sniper rifle._

 _Once fought both Khora and Garuda (at the same time) to a draw. (Training simulation)_

 _Defeated Valkyr in a one-on-one duel. (Not a training simulation)_

 _(Valkyr refuse to show up to her weekly psyche evaluation and Trinity had to get physical after Valkyr told her to, and I quote, "Fuck off, you bitch" after the Healer Tenno tried asking her nicely to come._ _What happened next could only be described as a duel between two experience warriors which soon devolved into a one-sided beatdown as Trinity demonstrated her immense knowledge of the human body and where one needed to strike to inflict the most possible damage._ _The Berserker Tenno had to be carried to the medical bay afterward spending two full weeks there while the Orbiter had to pull into a nearby Relay to fix the damage. An impressive feat though seeing how only Excabilur and Chroma have beaten Valkyr before and it took both of them to do it. To this day, Valkyr has never missed a scheduled appointment with Trinity, even foregoing schedule time-off in order to be waiting for her in the medical ward an **hour** early.)_

 ** _Trinity is a support-based operator. Her abilities favour restoration and preservation over destruction. Draining powers turn her enemies into conduits of life and energy, while defensive powers redirect and dissipate attacks upon herself and her team._ **

**A/N: Hope you like it and thank you,** ** _gold crown dragon._**


	7. Lotus' Profile: The Earth Tenno

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.**

 **A/N: Got a number of requests to bring Atlas into the story, (also, this story finally got over 10,000 views) and I figure Trinity's arc was as good as ever. Which is good because seeing what I got planned for this arc, it's probably going to take a full squad to handle it.**

 **This was presented to me by " _gold crown dragon_** _"_ ** _(ID:_** **7483628) from Indonesia.**

 _ **If you want to submit a profile or otherwise to me, do so. All credit will go toward you.**_

 **Lotus' Profile:**

 **(Atlas)**

 **The Earth Tenno, The Rock Tenno, The Mountain Tenno, The Stone Tenno.**

 **Unofficially: The Dad Tenno.**

 ** _Titan of stone, lord of the earthly elementals._**

Born into the lower caste of the Orokin Empire, his life was filled with hardships and troubles from the start. From his humble beginnings as a lowly worker slaving away alongside the Grineer on Europa to rising up and becoming the head foreman for designing the Emperor's new palace at the capital, Atlas has always been laying the groundwork. It was in between this time that he married his childhood friend and brought two children into the stars.

He was onboard the Zarmian Ten Zero to oversee the materials in the ship's cargo bay that would be used to construct the platform from where the Emperor's would oversee his Grand Parade, but like the others, he knew nothing about the ship's secret orders to experiment with void-jumps.

When the ship was discovered a couple of years later, the man who would become Atlas was found in the cargo bay, encased in a hardened dome of dirt that took rescue crews six hours to breakthrough.

Unfortunately, his return was not as jubilant as one would think for his family as they were executed soon afterward in the Empire excessive attempt to keep the Zarmian Ten Zero incident along with the Tenno a secret. I have been informed by Atlas himself that he only got to see his family for a few hours after his recovery before their untimely demise by Dax soldiers.

It was during his training that is was observed that Atlas had developed something of a sixth sense in sensing vibrations through the ground no matter how small, allowing him to sense when an enemy was approaching. Unfortunately, this does not work on metal surfaces.

He is one of the more muscled physique Tenno, his body only rivaled by Hildryn and Rhino. While not quite on the same level of strength as those two, he is nonetheless easily capable of lifting a Bailiff off the ground with one hand, dual-wields two Soma with no trouble whatsoever, and is even an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, using his own signature fist weapons, the Tekko.

While in combat his prefer tactic is to weather his enemies' assault and then charge forth with all of his might whenever he senses a break in their attack. This is only achievable due to his rock hard skin which has taken rockets with little to no trouble at all. As far as combat records show, Atlas has never been knockdown while his feet were planted.

Due to his physical form, however, Atlas is the slowest of the Tenno when it comes to sprint speed and is usually tasked with bringing up the rear guard during squad ops.

 _Now Reawakened From his deep slumber he is ready to hold the weight of the world once more on his shoulder._

 _ **Atlas is a humble giant, but woe to those who underestimate him.**_

The only Tenno to ever force the Grusrtrag Three to retreat while on a solo mission and this was only fifty-five seconds into their battle.

Is one of the older male Tenno and has become a sort of father figure for the younger ones, especially Nyx, who is arguably the youngest of them all.

He is the current champion of the Tenno Arm wrestling competition, which surprisingly had almost every Tenno, including Valykr and Chroma, participate in.

Known to have a friendly rivalry with Hildryn and Rhino, especially in the gym.

Is the only person who Inaros has no problem with sitting down and talking to for long periods of time as the Sand Tenno as a tendency to see everyone else beneath his attention.

 _ **Special Note:**_

Atlas has a tendency to let off unoriginal or unfunny jokes very often which have supposedly been told by middle-aged or older men since the early days of humanity. From what I have gathered, these are referred to as "Dad jokes". The rest of the Tenno, including Trinity, Excabliur, and myself to an extent, find them unamusing though I have been told that Konzu of Cetus greatly enjoys them.

 _ **This is Atlas, the brawler, the strong.**_

 _ **Moving mountains is no easy task, Tenno. Atlas endures.**_

 _ **A/N: You'll be seeing Atlas in the full chapter. If you want to submit a profile or otherwise to me, do so. All credit will go toward you**_


	8. Plaguestar (Trinity 1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe.**

 **A/N: Here is the full chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Please Review, Fav, or Follow, if you want.**

 **Also check out my Battletech story: _Dragon of the Reach._**

 ** _Plaguestar_**

 ** _(Trinity)_**

One month after the assault on Vor's headquarters, Chroma found himself currently adrift inside the mediation chamber, floating from one end of the room to the other. This chamber was at first use to help the Tenno get re-acquaintance with the strange feeling of the vacuum of space whenever they were in their archwings but once everyone went through the course Trinity had it turn into a place where one could be at peace with themselves while moving in complete weightlessness. The Healing Tenno felt that it would make them more open to her questions when she was giving them a psych evaluation and she has yet to be proven wrong.

Though even she thought that the Dragon Tenno before her might prove a problem as she enters through the separation chamber, her suit's magnetic-lock ability keeping her attached to the floor.

"First question, what is your name?", she asks as she walks around the floating Tenno.

"Operator Chroma, The Dragon Tenno, Aguu Anchin", he listed off as he moved upside down with his arms cross a few feet to Trinity's right.

"Okay then, moving on", Trinity says as she jotted down some notes, "What was your lifestyle before the **Zariman Ten-Zero?** And if possible, please be specific.

Chroma lets out a breath in annoyance before answering as he began to spin around, "I was the son of the head warrior of the Riagoa tribe, who was bloodbound with our chief."

She wrote down more notes, "Next, h-"

"Why did you put me on lockdown if you were just going to ask me the same questions you have been asking me more than a dozen times in the past few week? Half of my lockdown time has been spent in this chamber and I want to know why", Chroma spoke up, irritated by the fact that he has had just as many psyche evaluations in the past month as Valykr, a Tenno who actually had mental problems due to her history.

Trinity looks away from her hologram notepad and studies Chroma for a moment, watching him float in front of her, "Your energy is the among the most unstable within the Tenno. I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure it doesn't affect you in other ways."

A growl erupts from the Dragon Tenno's throat that reverberates throughout the room.

"But that's not the answer you want to hear, very well then", Trinity says, "As I said before, you seen obsessively eager to pursue this Stalker. Almost as if it's personal."

"It's personal!", Chroma shouts, "He wounded me and then had the sheer audacity to say that I wasn't worth his time! I can't let such an insult stand and the mark of shame upon me will not be cleansed until I and I alone have ended his life!"

Trinity presses a few keys on her pad while maintaining eye contact with Chroma, "I theorize that this is a custom associated with your tribe."

"It's called the redhunt and it means to never let any strike against you go unanswered unless it is from your bloodkin and even that expectation is case by case", Chroma explains, "To do so brings great shame upon yourself and your kin."

"But you are the last remaining member of your tribe. Surely, you are now free to choose what customs to follow and when to follow them", the Healer Tenno points out.

Silence engulfs the room as Chroma stares at Trinity for what seems like hours, "I do not expect you to understand my tribe's culture, I merely ask that you respect it."

"Very well. Moving on", Trinity starts back up as Chroma spun around, his back now facing her, "Tell me, what are your thoughts on Mesa?"

"Why? Are you planning on sending me on a mission with her once this farce of yours has run its course?", Chroma answers while thinking back to the day Excalibur asks him that same question.

"No real reason, it's just that both of you were the first to encounter the Stalker and yet she doesn't seem to be as aggressive as you are when it comes to him", Trinity explain, "Also, if I can be honest with you, she has been constantly badgering me on when I will release the mission lockdown on you. Do you have any idea why?"

Chroma grunts, "After the Mercury mission, she stated that she owed me one for saving her life, no doubt she is anxious to return the favor in order to not be indebted to me."

Trinity finds herself staring at the Tenno floating in front of her, scanning him for any lie in his statement through his body language. When she finds none she simply shakes her head, " _He truly believes that. Oh, to be so young and naive",_ she thought knowing full well that the Gunslinger Tenno sudden obsession over Chroma's mission readiness status had nothing to do with repaying a debt.

" _Operator Trinit_ _y",_ Ordis' voice comes through on her private channel.

"Yes, Ordis?"

" _I have_ _an urgent_ _message for you from Operator Revenant_ _on Cetus_."

"Revenant? That's unusual", she comments, "He rarely calls unless to give his daily update. Also, why is he calling me?"

" _Shall I put it through?",_ Ordis asks.

"Yes, go ahead."

Chroma continues floating through the room, dwelling on everything that has occurred so far since Mercury. From the Lotus and Excalibur leaving abruptly in order to gather intel on this "Prime" warframe that the enemy possessed along with information on the Stalker to everyone else beside him and Trinity begin sent off on missions in order to contain Vor's newest offensive across the system in wake of the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on him. Chroma didn't even have time to get a sufficient answer on what exactly attack the main group on Mercury.

Before he could dwell further into his thoughts, sudden movements out of the corner of his eye draws his attention to Trinity, who now look dishevel even through her suit.

"Hmm?", Chroma says before bringing up her vitals on his warframe HUD. Upon doing so he finds himself slightly shocked by the fact that the Healer Tenno heart-rate was skyrocketing.

"Is everything alright, Trinity?", he voices, seemingly snapping her out of her current state of mind.

"I'm afraid I must cut today's session short for I am needed on Cetus", she says abruptly as she heads for the exit, "Ordis, turn off the anti-gravity!"

Chroma feels his weightlessness disappears and he lands softly on his feet despite his heavy bulk.

"Cetus? You're heading to Earth?", he asks as he follows after her as she heads to the ship's main armory.

"No time to explain! I have to move fast!", she answers as she enters the main room and heads straight for her loadout stand where her weapons were stored.

"Why?", Chroma questions, getting slightly irritated by the lack of a decent answer.

"Ordis, prep my Mantis for launch!", Trinity orders as she grabs and holsters her weapons.

"At once, Operator Trinity", The A.I. responds, "Also, I will have your med-kit transfer to your Mantis in preparation for your departure, though there is the small matter of your es-"

"Thank you, Ordis. I will be leaving shortly", Trinity interrupts as she turns toward the door only to find her path block by the Dragon Tenno.

"You're not going anywhere", Chroma says calmly with his arms cross and rearing back to his full height.

"Pardon me?", was Trinity only reply as she stares the Tenno in front of her down, no easy feat seeing how Chroma was one of the taller Tenno.

"Lotus Directive **_seventeen_** ** _point five_** , Operator Trinity is to not leave the Orbiter under any circumstances excluding abandoning ship procedures without an escort", Chroma quotes, "Ordis, remind me how many operators are currently on board right now."

"Operator Chroma, you and Operator Trinity are the only operators onboard at this very moment with the closest operator, Atlas, current position putting him at a minimum of five hours flight time away from the ship's current location", Ordis relays.

"Thank you. Now Ordis, are you under orders from the Lotus herself to enact this protocol?"

"Yes, Operator Chroma. Operator Trinity would have been sitting in her landing craft in the hangar bay, not clear for launch, until an escort was provided to her due to her being the only fully qualified medical specialist among the Tenno."

Trinity could feel Chroma smiling underneath his helmet as he leans in close to her, "The only way you're getting off this ship is by declaring me fit for combat duty and taking me with you."

"The task I'm about to undertake is more than likely going to be delicate and needs to be handled with care", she growls.

"Delicate is Ash, Ivara, and Loki's specialty, and they are on Uranus; you got me instead", Chroma tells her.

Trinity ponders her options for a moment before inhaling deeply and lets it out slowly, "Ordis."

"Yes, Operator Trinity?"

"I hereby declare...", she stops herself, almost unwilling to believe that she was back into a corner by Chroma of all people over a directive that she asks the Lotus to created herself, "I hereby declare Operator Chroma _temporarily_ fit for combat duty. His landing craft is to be taken out of lock-down and he is fit to go out on sorties under my supervision."

"Acknowledge, Operator Trinity", Ordis says, "Unlocking Operator Chroma's Landing Craft.

"Also, I will be escorting Trinity to Cetus", Chroma adds as he turns around and heads to retrieve his weapons, leaving a fuming Healer Tenno in his wake, "Meet you in the Hangar Bay."

Ten minutes later, both Chroma and Trinity were entering their respective Landing Craft.

"Operator Trinity, Operator Chroma, commencing final diagnostic check now before launch due to our close proximity to Earth:

 ** _Operator Trinity Status Check:_**

 **Shields: Green**

 **Vital Signs: Green**

 **Armor: Green**

 **Energy: Fully Charged**

 **Energy Siphon Mod Install**

 ** _Operator Trinity's Weapons Check:_**

 **Dual Vipers** **Status: Green**

 **Vulkar** **Status: Green**

 **Orthos** **Status: Green**

"Operator Trinity, prepared for mission", Ordis concluded, "Moving on to Operator Chroma"

 ** _Operator Chroma Status Check:_**

 **Shields: Green**

 **Vital Signs: Green**

 **Armor: Green**

 **Energy: Fully Charged**

 **Energy Siphon Mod Install**

 **Special Energy Flow:** **Lightning**

 ** _Operator Chroma's Weapons Check_**

 **Dragon Galatine (** ** _Tiamat's Wrath_** **) Status: Green**

 **Daikyu Status: Green**

 **Ferrox Status: Green**

"Now would be a good time to tell me why exactly you're going to Cetus, Trinity", Chroma says over their shared channel, "I thought Revenant was keeping an eye on the place."

"Revenant sent me a message saying that Vay Hek is preparing for a major offensive in the plains with his main goal no doubt being Cetus itself", Trinity answered.

"But Vay Hek doesn't have the troops numbers on the Plains of Eidolon to do anything significant, he would have to muster a large portion of his troops on Earth to do that and that would leave him vulnerable to a syndicate assault from New Loka and Steel Meridian", Chroma reminded her, "Also, what about Unum? From what I know, she protects the Ostrons with her shield."

"No, he has a new weapon at his disposal," Trinity says, "One that literally fell from the sky."

 **Jupiter Relay**

In a secluded part of the relay that hovered over Jupiter, atop a staircase carve out of rock and covered in snow, he waited.

Quietly, he mediates. In complete silence, he goes through the images of the battles he has fought in the past, going over every last detail in preparation for the battles he knows he will have to fight in the future. By his own admission and that of many other, he was single-handily one of the best swordsmen in the Origin system and very few could push him in a duel. Even the Tenno were warily around him for what he lacked in power compared to them he made up with experience and skill.

Though there was one among them that he considered the closest thing he had to a "rival", one that could test his mettle and actually help him improve his skill and he has been keeping that one waiting for a solid minute.

"I sense you have questions, Excalibur", Teshin says without looking behind him down at the Swordsman Tenno, "It's rare for you to visit without calling ahead", as he slowly turns around, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Excalibur says nothing as he slowly draws his Dragon Nikana out of his sheath and points it toward the ground.

"Ah, it seems that whatever it's that you need an answer to isn't so urgent that you would forgo our usual greeting", Teshin comments as he too draws his own Nikana.

Silence engulfs the room as the two combatants stand frozen in their currents positions, doing nothing more than watching the other, waiting for the first move to occur.

"Excalibur", a voice cuts in through his comm channel, "We don't have time for this. We need information and we need it fast."

"Lotus, I ask you to let me handle this my way", Excalibur replies while keeping his focus on Teshin, "If we use the methods that you usually employ, we will never get an answer."

"Very well then, Excalibur. We'll try it your way...for now", she relented from her position on the other side of the door. It was no secret that Teshin despise her and she didn't want to risk not getting the information they needed by offending him with her presence. As she continues listening in on their chatter, she received a message from Trinity.

"Tell me, Excalibur, have you yet to fully remember that day from so long ago; when you and I clash at the Imperial Palace at the entrance to the Throne Room at the hour of the Empire's demise?", Teshin continued as he takes a step forward, "On that day, I was already four centuries old and the veteran of over a hundred battles but I knew the moment our swords clash that you were different. I knew that you were the opponent that I have long search for."

Excalibur began moving up the stairs as Teshin reminisce, sword still down at his waist.

"On that day I failed in my duty to protect the Royal Family, yet I bear no grudge toward you or the other Tenno", Teshin voiced, "For all things must come to an end, even the mighty Orokin Empire. It was predestined to happen one way or another, sooner or later, with or without your involvement."

The Swordsman Tenno raise his Dragon Nikana up in front of him, the tip pointed upward toward Teshin.

"But I wonder, Tenno, if you and the others, especially your scheming Lotus, are truly prepared to deal with the consequences that sprung forth from that fateful day", Teshin states as he breaks off into a sprint down the stairs and jumps toward Excalibur, sword high above his head and ready to strike, "For one day, we must all answer for our actions!"

 **CLANK!**

The sound of two powerful blades colliding with one another echoes throughout the entirety of the relay.

 ** _Cetus_**

It was dawn as the two landing craft began their descent down into the port of Cetus, the Tower of Unum at their back, where they notice a crowd gathering at the entrance near the market

"That's something new", Trinity pointed out, "From the reports and interviews with the few Tenno that have visited here, the Ostrons usually don't gather like this unless an important announcement is being made."

"Wouldn't know, never been here before", Chroma comments, "Everything I know about Cetus and the Ostrons is from the official debrief the Lotus gave us."

"Perhaps we can get further insight from him", Ordis chime in as a pict come up on the Healer Tenno screen, zooming in to a familiar figure at the usual landing spot for the Tenno, "Operator Revenant seems to be awaiting your arrival. This is most peculiar due to his- _anti-social ass-_ his reclusive nature."

Chroma takes a look at all the screens on his landing craft that observe the port, "I don't see any Grineer ships, only Corpus and some syndicate vessels."

"Intercepted Grineer messages indicate that Vay Hek has issued a decree that any Grineer merchants caught trading with the Ostrons will face, in his words, "A harsh torture session along with an even harsher death"."

"Sounds about right", mutters the Dragon Tenno as a comm message from Trinity appears in front of him.

"Chroma, there is something you need to know before we disembark", she states.

"And what would that be?", he question.

"There is a reason why Revenant is allowed to remain on Cetus by himself, only contacting the Orbiter with daily updates or a request for back-up" she explained.

" _He usually only asks for Gara for back-up",_ Chroma thought, "And what's the reason?"

"Lotus fear his…..personality would rub some of the Tenno the wrong way and might cause conflict."

"You mean to tell me that the reason why Revenant wasn't a part of our largest sortie since the attack on the Imperial Palace millenniums ago was because the Lotus was afraid he might upset someone?", Chroma asks, "I do that all the time."

Trinity shakes her head, "That's not the only reason. Look, just try to keep a calm head while we're here. We don't need to be showing the Ostrons that there is division within our ranks."

"Very well then", Chroma grumbles as he attaches to his stasis and a few seconds later, he is flip over.

Jumping downward, he finds himself landing at the very edge of the pier alongside Trinity, while Revenant was still a couple of yards in front of them.

"Have my medical station ready to deploy on my signature, Ordis", Trinity she radios in as she makes her way toward the Sentinet Tenno.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity", the A.I. replies, "Med-kit on standby."

She then looks over at Chroma who was alongside her, "Let me do the talking; next to Gara and the Lotus, I have interacted with Revenant more than anyone else on the Orbiter."

Chroma merely grunts as the two of them stop directly in front of Revenant.

Up till this moment, Chroma has only met Revenant twice. The first time was when he was introduced to the rest of the Tenno upon him be awaken and the second time was when he reported to the ship in order for him to get retrained in the proper use of the archwing. Both instances he kept to himself, only conversing with Gara and no one else.

So when Chroma heard him speak for the first time, he was taken aback a little.

"Trinity, you have come", a voice that echoed every syllable spoke as told it was a chorus speaking as one, "You have arrived, just like they told us you would."

" _Who told him?_ _And who is this us he is referring to?_ Chroma wonder as he watches Revenant turns his head every few moments away from the pair, opting to look out toward the ocean, the sky, and back to the market behind him. He never kept his attention on something for more than two seconds, yet he continued to speak as though he was directly facing Trinity.

"Yes, Revenant, I got your message. What can you tell us about the situation?"

Revenant crouches down to the ground, admiring a pebble, "Not here. We must venture out onto the plains, see it with our own eyes. The sun is shining, they won't come out."

Without warning, Revenant turns his attention up toward Chroma who looks down back at him. Even from within his warframe, the Dragon Tenno could feel Revenant's eyes staring into his soul, studying him, judging him.

"It has been a long time since dragons have roamed these lands. We wonder if this one will last long since it's being hunted", and with that, he sprung up and started heading toward the market, leaving a stun Chroma in his wake.

Trinity's HUD displays a pict of Chroma's vitals, showcasing that his heart was suddenly beating rapidly and she could see strains of lightning once more arcing off his warframe.

"No one", she heard him growl through their shared comm, 'hunts me!",

"You lay one finger on him and I will personally see that you are put back into cryo-sleep for an undetermined period of time", Trinity threatens, stopping Chroma before he even had a chance to step forward, "Revenant is still a valued member of the Tenno despite his unique personality and is one of the main reasons why Cetus has not fallen to the Grineer or the Eidolons."

Chroma cocks his head back to glare at Trinity, a motion he realizes was pointless seeing how she couldn't see it, "Is something wrong with the Tower?"

Trinity shakes her head, "Unum is powerful, no doubt about it, but even she would be tax to her limit if she had to deal with the Eidolons and the Grineer all by herself, especially with the methods Vay Hek is employing. And while the Ostrons harvest her for food, they have to venture into the plains to gather other sources of nourishment and trade and that's where Revenant watches over them."

"How can he watch over something when he can't even keep an eye on it for more than a second?", Chroma murmured as Trinity moves past him, " _Starting to think we should have just recall Atlas back or even Gara;_ _that way I would have at least had the ship to myself",_ as he watches her walk away. But he soon finds his attention being drawn to Revenant, who was waiting at the top of the stairs, and the odd weaponry he was carrying, especially the long-handle Nikana he had strapped to his back.

"Ordis, give me a status check on Revenant", Chroma commands.

"Yes, Operator Chroma. Bringing up Operator Revenant's weapons loadout now", the A.I. reply.

 ** _Operator_** ** _Revenant's_** ** _Status Check:_**

 **Shields: Green**

 **Vital Signs: Green**

 **Armor: Green**

 **Energy: Fully Charged**

 **Energy Siphon Mod Install**

 ** _Operator_** ** _Revenant's_** ** _Weapons Check:_**

 **Phantasma Status: Green**

 **Battacor Status: Green**

 **Tatsu** **Status: Green**

"Ordis, I have never seen these weapons come up before in the armory inventory", Chroma states after a moment, remembering back to all the times he had bridge watch and had to go complete the routine weapons check on all the weapons stored in the armory, "Why is that? Even weapons that are currently being used on sorties are still logged."

"The reason for that, Operator Chroma, is because Operator Revenant's weapons are permanently logged out of the armory by the Lotus herself due to Operator Revenant permanent active mission status", he explains.

Chroma reads through the information on all of the Sentient Tenno's weapons, stopping when he got to the Battacor, "It's a Corpus weapon with Sentient technology within it?"

"Correct, according to the reports, Operator Revenant retrieve the weapon from a Corpus' scout team around a year ago", Ordis states.

" _And his other weapons give_ _off_ _high amounts of radiation,_ _ideal for taking on Grineer forces",_ Chroma thought before his thoughts are shattered by a comm message appearing on his HUD.

"Chroma, you need to get up here", it read.

"I'll be right there", he sends back as he made his way up. Upon reaching the edge of the market where he last saw Trinity and Revenant, he was greeted by a most peculiar sight.

The Ostrons were coming up to him, dropping to their knees right in front of him. Some touch his suit, others bowed their heads to him, while others simply look upward to the sky. No matter what action they took their facial expressions were all the same…

Weeping and wailing.

"Please mighty angel of war!"

"Save us from this calamity!"

"Rid us of the disease invaders!"

"Free the plains!"

All this and more were shouted at him as he had to gently push his way through the crowd to where the others were waiting along with a man that Chroma only knew from the earlier Cetus debrief as Konzu, the chieftain of the Ostrons.

"Hail, Udirdagch", he says as he crosses his arms across his chest and bows to Konzu, causing both the Ostron and Trinity to stare at the Dragon Tenno while Revenant looks off toward the ocean.

"Udirdagch?", Trinity voices.

"It means chieftain in my people's language", Chroma explains.

"And the bowing, offworlder?", Konzu questions.

"It's how one greets a chief from a different tribe", Chroma finish as he turns to look at the gather Ostrons who were still pleading and crying but for now kept their distance from the group, "What ails your tribe, elder one?"

"A shadow!", Konzu answers with fury, "A shadow that fell from the heavens and has spread its filth across the plains and confides my people within the very walls that were meant to protect them! While divine Unum feeds us with her own body, we can not survive on her bounty alone! And Vay Hek slimy hide is using our misfortune for his own gain!"

"Please elaborate, Konzu", Trinity says but Revenant steps in before Konzu could talk.

"We must go out onto the plains", he repeated, "Only then will you see the true extent of the sickness."

"Sickness?", both Chroma and Trinity say.

"Offworlder Revenant is right. Go, Tenno, see it what plagues my people with your own eyes. The root of it is located not far from the mountains to the north", Konzu explains, "I will send word ahead to open the gate for you but I must stay here and ease the worries of my people. Go now, for the night will be here soon enough and you already have much to deal with without having giants breathing down your neck!"

Trinity nods and heads through the market, follow by Revenant and Chroma while Konzu turns to the rest of the Ostrons.

"Put aside your fears my fellow Ostrons! The offworlders will cleanse the plains of this new enemy and restore our way of life! Please, I beg of you to endure just a little longer!"

As the three Tenno made their way through the mostly empty market, Chroma spotted some Corpus merchants who have set up a stand near the center. The Dragon Tenno could feel their eyes go cold as soon as they spotted him.

"The Dragon of Themisto", he heard one of them spat, no doubt referring to the carnage he left in his wake back on Jupiter during the mission where he and Excalibur freed Valkyr.

"The Defiler of Derim Zahn", the other hiss as he eyes examine the Ferrox strap to Chroma's back.

Chroma could feel his blood rising at the mention of the word "defiler" but he remembers that violence was strictly prohibited within the Ostron camp and Lotus stated that any Tenno that broke this law without the grounds of self-defense or the defense of the Ostron would be punished dearly. Apparently, from what the debrief said, certain resources could only be found in Cetus and the Ostron had a monopoly on it, so it was best not to antagonize them.

This and only this was the reason why the Corpus who insulted him was allowed to keep breathing as Chroma made his way by them but not before whispering just loud enough for him to hear...

"All bets are off out among the stars, prey."

Moments later, he caught up to Trinity and Revenant who were waiting for him next to the large gateway that led to the plains, the Healer Tenno with her arms crossed as Chroma came up to them.

"I know that you and Excalibur have quite a reputation among the Corpus due to past missions", Trinity says, her annoyance clearly heard in her voice, "But time is a factor and it would benefit everyone if you could put aside your animosity toward them until after we are done here."

The Ostrons who were nearby actually found themselves quickly vacating the area as a storm of lightning arc off of Chroma in such great quantity that one would think that he activated his ** _Elemental Ward._**

"Who are you to give me such orders?," he growls as he found himself towering over Trinity, glaring down at her but the former doctor of the Orokin gave no ground.

"As I am the only reason you're not wallowing in your own loneliness back on the Orbiter, I have command over you during this mission and I can pull you out of your combat readiness status whenever I wish", she replied, holding up her hand afterward to stop any retort from Chroma, "I also radio the Lotus during our transit here and she felt that I was best suited for leading this mission."

Chroma whole body started to shake with barely controlled rage, for he was approaching his limit of being left out of the loop.

"Remember Chroma, you were given the opportunity to take up the mantle of second-in-command and you refuse it. If you had just accepted the responsibilities, we wouldn't be having this conversation and you would be in charge right now", Trinity pointed out, "This is no one's fault but your own."

The giant doors began to open up behind Trinity and without skipping a beat, Chroma pushes past her in the long corridor, no longer willing to tolerate her presence while he was in his current state of mind. He wasn't even partway through the door-frame when a transmission came through from Trinity.

"The Lotus asks me to pass along a message to you before we landed", she started, "One I think you'll be happy to hear."

Chroma stops in his track but doesn't look back at the Healer Tenno, "What prevents her from telling me herself this message?"

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you. I thought I heard swords clashing in the background but that's about it", Trinity replied, "Anyway, she said that if you cooperate on this mission and help us rid the plains of this new threat, she will allow you some downtime from missions to go and gather information on the Stalker."

Now this caught Chroma's full attention as he turns around to face Trinity, who was walking up to him alongside Revenant.

"Say again?"

"Let me clarify; she will allow you to gather information on the Stalker, not hunt him", Trinity states but before she could go any further she stops for an eerie feeling of dread began to travel down her spine.

Chroma picks up on this as he too felt a sense of familiar discomfort and looks behind Trinity toward the doors which were still open, "Aren't those doors suppose to close behind us?".

"They are", Trinity says as a new sound enters the picture from the other end of the corridors, "And those aren't supposed to open until they do!"

Two towering doors spread apart from one another, giving Chroma his first real glimpse at the Plains of Eidolon. The rolling fields, a crystal clear lake, and the tall trees were among the first things he saw but then he noticed movement in the distance. Something was headed straight for the open gate and at an alarming speed. So massive was the horde that for a moment it looked as if though the plains themselves were moving toward them.

"They are coming", Revenant suddenly spoke up as Chroma turns to witness him bringing his Battacor to bear, "The reach of the sickness has spread all the way to the gates themselves. Tis the hour that we must do the work that we were made for."

"Operator Chroma, Operator Revenant, Operator Trinity", Ordis voices crackled over the comms, "Multiple lifesigns are inbound to your position. Suggest readying for combat."

"Close the gates! Close the gates!", Trinity scream toward the Ostrons that were nearby as her warframe sensors pick up small tremors erupting all around her, "Hurry before it's too late!"

"It's already too late", Chroma informs her as he takes his Daikyu off his back and readies an arrow he drew from his warframe's interior quiver, "Hope you are as good with a weapon as you are with healing. For the Infested show mercy to no one."

The first wave of the ancient Orokin creation flooded into the open corridor, their numbers so vast that they instantly filled the entrance way.

Chroma lets loose his first arrow, not really bothering to take aim as he fires squarely into the swarming mass. He sees three Chargers instantly fly backward for a moment, skewer by his single arrow before they vanish within the rolling tide of infestation.

Two streams of gunfire go off on his right and he quickly glances over to see Trinity unloading into the mob with her Twin Vipers, the gun poor accuracy not affecting her hit ratios whatsoever as ever bullet struck mutated flesh. On his left, Revenant unleash the might of his Sentient rifle as every trigger pull release two rounds of magnetic damage into a surging tidal wave of living tissue.

Quickly realizes that his Daikyu was too slow for this type of action due to its charging phase and the flood was getting closer with every passing moment, Chroma quickly holsters it and draws out **_Tiamat's Wrath,_** readying it as he charges forward toward the incoming Infested letting out a bestial roar as the full might of his lightning surges through his body and strikes outward as he crashes into the advancing wall of claws and disease and got engulfed by it a heartbeat later.

 **A/N: Trinity ain't got time for your shit, Chroma.**

 **Udirdagch is Mongolian for chieftain.**

 **On the whole, Chroma accessing other Tenno weapons status and vital signs. Any Tenno can check the status on another Tenno whenever they feel like it unless the Tenno in question puts up a block. Excalibur (Field Commander) and Trinity (Head Medical) are the only Tenno that can override this block to check the overall status of another Tenno. Lotus can do what she wants.**

 **Please Review, Fav, or Follow, if you want.**

 **Also check out my Battletech story: _Dragon of the Reach._**


	9. The Infested Horde (Preview) (Trinity 2)

**_Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe._**

 ** _A/N: So this is a quick preview of the upcoming chapter for Trinity's arc. I'm thinking about making this arc four chapters instead of three like Mesa's was, but we'll see how it goes. I added a little something to the Healing Tenno abilities, not much though. She can still do her regular stuff, I just wanted to try something new. Also, I have gotten a few PM's regarding mods in this story, they're still here and they will come up eventually._**

 ** _Check out my Battletech story when you have the chance._**

 ** _The Infested Horde_**

 **Preview**

This...this was where he belongs. This was where he could truly be himself, where nothing else matters but the strength of his sword arm and his own instinct. As the dragon spun through the army of mutated flesh he lets go of all control, all sense of restraint as he flows through them like a shark swims through the ocean, **_Tiamat's Wrath_** cleaving left and right, dismembering all who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the powerful blade.

This was the only place among the stars he could truly unleash the primal rage that dwell deep inside him, always begging him to be released unto his foes. One on one duels with a single powerful opponent was Excabliur's specialty and he could have it, Chroma lived for the horde battles. Battles where every swing ended dozens of lives and by the end of it all your entire body was covered in the blood of the enemies who were too foolish to run away. It was this reason that the Infested was the Dragon Tenno prefer enemy. Sure, the Grineer and the Corpus, whether they be Corrupted or otherwise, would try to overwhelm him with their numbers but only the endless waves of corrupted lifeforms could ever truly satisfy him for they did not care for tactics or advanced weaponry. No, they simply swarm their target like the waves crashing onto the shore and that was all the Tenno ever wanted in a fight. This reason and this reason alone was precisely why **_Tempo Royale_** was his prefer sword-style as it was perfect for keeping on the move and utilizing crowd control techniques. For this was his element, it was another reason why he preferred doing solo missions for the other Tenno did not simply understand the beauty of this type of battle. For with a swing here, a lightning **_Spectral Scream_** there and his **_Elemental Ward_** sending blast after blast of lightning through the endless flood, their numbers would eventually be culled, all the while he revels in the chaos, like a dragon should.

Trinity and Revenant continue to fire down range into the flanks of the horde where Chroma wasn't at, doing all that they could to somehow stem the tide. It didn't take long for Trinity to realize the Chroma had essentially aggro the mob through the use of his aggressive swordplay and lightning which was causing the majority of the horde to focus solely on him though this didn't stop a few of the more intelligent stragglers from peeling off and heading straight for the Healer and Sentient Tenno. Bursts from Revenant's Battacor and Trinity's Twin Vipers easily put down the majority of them but a few were still able to close the distance and gets up within striking range of Trinity.

Quickly, she holsters her guns and switches to the ancient pole-arm, Orthos, using it to impale the nearest Infested, a Charger that got too full of itself, through its head, easily piercing it hide and planting it into the ground along with her weapon. Springing forward she swings on the now stationary staff to deliver a double kick to the head of a Runner, sending it flying backwards into the walls and as she finishes her movement, she yanks the Orthos out and slashes the upper half of another Charger's head clean off before turning her attention back to the still daze Runner who she then guts with a thrust into its torso, twisting her melee weapon before yanking it out. As the Runner's guts spill out onto the ground it somehow still had the life left in it to makes a feeble attempt to attack Trinity, who draws a single Viper and empty a half a clip into its head, finishing it off for good. She then uses the remaining rounds to headshot another Runner that was in mid-sprint toward her. Dodging the claws of a third Runner that came from her side, the Healing Tenno swings her Orthos into it, the staff part colliding with the mutated beast side and slamming it into the wall with a resounding smack. Before the Runner could even react, Trinity once again holsters her Viper and pulls her free hand back. From the ends of her warframe's fingertips tiny syringes extend out and she shoots out and clinches the Runner's neck, her tiny knife-like appenages going deep into its flesh. Combining the mechanics of her suit along with her own supernatural Tenno power, she began to absorb the very essence of the Infested, taking both it's life force and energy until it became nothing more than a dry husk that crumbles to dust within her grasp. As the extra health and energy surge through her, a Leaper jumps out of the ocean of Infested toward her, its claws ready to strike. Instinctively, Trinity casts **_Well Of Life_** on the airborne creature stopping it in its mid-flight as it became encased in a green aura. As the creature hovers in mid-air, Trinity puts away her Orthos and draws both Vipers. After taking a brief moment to reload both of them, she unleashes a barrage of bullets into the Leaper's head, the damage inflicted on it being converting by her own energy into health to aid her compatriots, not that they needed it though if her HUD was anything to go off of. Revenant was holding his own against the tide while Chroma was simply hacking through them too fast for them to do any real damage to them besides a few scratches here and there.

Meanwhile, with Revenant, his actions had also drawn the attention of the stragglers from the main horde who launch themselves at the Sentient Tenno who responded in kind with shots from his Battacor while swiftly switching to his Tatsu to deal with any that got too close for his liking. Trinity then witnesses him use **_Enthrall_** on a group of Chargers that were near him, converting them to his cause. Without hesitation, they turn around and plunge headlong into the horde, ripping and tearing as they went along, no concern for the grievous injuries that were being inflicted on them back by their former comrades.

Trinity did a quick assessment of the situation and realize that thanks to the three of them, the horde was already down by a considerable amou t despite the initial shock and surprise of the attack.

"Now would be a better time than ever to get those doors close", Trinity told herself as she radios her comrades, "Revenant, move to a central position near the entrance of the village and maintain a perimeter. Chroma, just keep doing what you're doing. I'm moving to assist evaluate the gates situation."

"The voices concur to this plan", Revenant copies.

"Take your time", was the response from Chroma as he beheads three Chargers in a single swing, "These Infested are not a threat anyway."

" _Not a threat?",_ the words play in Trinity's head for a moment before a thought occurs to her.

"Ordis, I need a scan of all Infested within the hallway, dead or alive. I want statistics on the make-up of the attacking group", she orders.

" _Affirmative, Operator Trinity. Initializing scan, please stand-by",_ the ship A.I. says which during that time, Trinity makes her way back into the village. As she exiting the hallways, she comes across the pandemonium state of Cetus as the crowds of civilians were still in a panic over the unexpected attack as entire stands were now collapse from people running into them in flight.

"Offworlder!", she hears from her side and turns to see Konzu along with nearly a hundred warriors behind him coming toward her, "We have come to aid you in the defense of our tribe!"

The Healing Tenno took one quick look at the assortment of weapons the men and women were carrying and quickly made her decision.

"Konzu, while I appreciating the offer, you and your warriors are better off evacuating the people to safer grounds while Chroma and Revenant handle things here. They are almost done anyway", she tells the chief, ignoring the nearly hurt look on his face.

"But-", he attempts.

"Our main concern right now is making sure these gates get close. Take me to the control room", she demanded.

Before Konzu could come up with a response, Ordis come in over Trinity's comm channel.

" _Operator Trinity, assessment complete. The make-up of the Infested group was roughly sixty-four percent Charges, twenty-eight percent Runners, and eight percent Leapers."_

"These are all Walkers type", Trinity realizes, "Were there no other types in the attacking horde?"

" _Negative, Operator Trinity. All specimens were of the Walker class."_

" _Infested attack in massive unorganized groups that accompanied all classes within their ranks", Trinity_ thought, " _Why did this one only consist of one type? If I didn't know any better, I would think that this was a skirmisher-"_

" _Operator Trinity._ _Operator Revenant. Operator Chroma_ _",_ Ordis' voice comes on over the main comm channel, " _Another large mass of infected life signs is inbound._ _Scans indicated that t_ _his one is calculated to be- **fucking huge-** __nine_ _hundred and twenty percent larger than the initial on_ _e and growing._ _The_ _group consists of Walkers, Crawlers, Machines, and even has a considerable number of Ancients within their ranks._ _I suggest you make ready for combat once more."_

 ** _A/N: Here they come._**


	10. Nezha's Diary: Hildryn

**Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.**

 **A/N: Apparently Nezha x Hildryn is a thing and it's a thing that I'm rolling with.**

 **Nezha's Diary: Hildryn**

She moves with all the grace of a breathtaking avalanche. Her voice serenades with all the harmony of an archwing's engines. She towers over all so that everyone may be able to see her spectacular beauty no matter where they are. In battle, she embraces her allies with the soothing aura of her shields while laying waste to her enemies in a dazzling display of death and destruction

She is the Shield Tenno, the Valkyrie Tenno. She is Hildryn and I have the privilege of having her visit my dreams during my sleep cycle.

Ever since I first met her onboard the Orbiter, I have watched her from afar, taking in her radiance personality and her heavenly body. Her exquisite leg and arm muscles flex with every movement she makes. Her elegant deepening voice immediately captures everyone's attention within the room. Her spectacular abdominal abs are like an alluring iron wall that I have witnessed take a solid blow from a Bailiff's Jat Kittag and she didn't even flinch. Back when I was the son of an Orokin Duke, I was waited on hand and foot by beautiful maids and I easily won the hearts of countless noblewomen. But with Hildryn, I have never seen such a glamorous woman and I know in my heart I never will again.

I was once fortunate enough to catch the back of her head as she was placing her helmet on and I have never once beheld such perfect blonde hair! It was as if the gods themselves took pure sunlight and bestow it upon her head. Oh, if only I had been a moment faster I might have glimpsed the sheer beauty of her no doubt flawless face!

I had to make a secret request to the Lotus to stop sending me out on missions with her for I found myself too distracted by her glorious presence to focus on the objective and my surroundings and I took a sniper's bullet to the leg because of that. When she carried me back to the extraction point over her shoulder, I felt as if I had died and ascended to the heavens.

Alas, for all my worship of her, I find myself unworthy of her attention, beneath her in all aspects. She embodies power and strength, I am the persona of agility and skill. I will try to find a way around a problem, she'll attack it head-on with all the artistic beauty of a charging Rhino (no pun intended). My heart aches with the fact that the two of us may never be together for she sees me as a comrade and nothing more.

But, it seems the gods deem me worthy enough to have a chance at her heart for I have heard through the rumor mill that she hails from the same region of Earth as the Dragon Tenno and that their individual tribes interacted numerous times. One might even say that they were acquaintances with one another to a degree. While Chroma and I have had our….differences in the past, I feel he is my only hope in capturing the attention of my love so I must be prepared to set my personal feelings aside with the dragon and ask for his assistance.

Ah, the things one must do for love.

May the stars shine down upon me and grant me luck in my quest to win the heart my hulking angel of the battlefield.

 **A/N: The next arc after Trinity's will include: Chroma, Mesa, Hildryn, and Nezah. Also, I like to think that the Orokin Empire had some sort of religion.**


	11. Ordis' Observation Log 1

**_Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe_**

 **A/N: So I'm at work right now and decided to start something new within the story that involved more Ordis. Plus, I have gotten requests on this site, Wattpad, and Archive of our Own about more Chroma and Mesa interaction along with him and Ember as well. Despite the title, these will be considered part of the main storyline as the information within them will pertain to it and come up later on.**

 ** _Ordis' Observation Log #1_**

 _Lotus has instructed Ordis to observe - **spy-** and record the Tenno in their interactions aboard the ship in order to determine their mental, physical, emotional, and in the cases such as Operator Harrow, their spiritual state. Though she has explicitly laid down some restrictions that I am to adhere to._

 _1\. No observing in their private quarters._

 _2\. Ordis is to cease recording and intervene if I detect a risk to an Operator's life or the Orbiter's safety._

 _3\. This is completely confidential. No Tenno is to learn about this._

 _4\. In case of discovery, Ordis to delete all recordings and wipe any memory of my involvement in them._

 _5\. Ordis is to provide notes within the logs to explain circumstances that otherwise couldn't be seen nor explain._

 ** _Beginning of Observation Log #1_**

 ** _Subjects Involve:_**

 ** _Operator Chroma (Still on medical lockdown):_**

 ** _Aka The Dragon Tenno_**

 ** _Operator Ember:_**

 ** _Aka The Fire Tenno. The Hell Tenno. The Inferno Tenno. The Pyro Tenno. The Flame Tenno. The Burning Tenno._**

 ** _Operator Mesa (briefly):_**

 ** _The Gunslinger Tenno. The Marksman Tenno._**

 ** _Location:_**

 ** _Bridge_**

 ** _Background Summary:_**

 ** _Operator Chroma is on Bridge watch while Operator Ember had just returned from her previous sortie and is getting a brief down period of five hours to rest before moving on to her next one._**

The ramp to the bridge slid downward indicating to Chroma that someone was entering the compartment. The sound of light footsteps could be heard along with the sound of the Grineer radio traffic that the Orbiter was intercepting. Glancing at his HUD it indicates that the temperature in the room was starting to rise rapidly.

"I thought the Lotus instructed you to keep your powers under control whenever you were outside your personal quarters onboard the ship", Chroma says as he casts a look over his shoulder at the Fire Tenno strolling toward him in a seductive way that causes him to stare at her a little longer than he intended, "Vauban has already got enough equipment to fix without you adding to it."

"Oh, really?", Ember laughs as she let out a deep breath and Chroma's HUD shows the room temperature dropping, "Must had slip my mind."

"Why are you up here?", Chroma asks before returning his attention to the screens, "The ship's log indicate that you dock in the hangar bay five minutes ago and you walked directly passed your personal quarters on the way up here."

Ember gives a shrug and observes the monitors around the room, "I have a little downtime before my next sortie and I came to change my weapons out. Plus, I wanted to see how you were doing; how's your lockdown going?"

"It's going", Chroma answers quickly, "That's all you need to know."

"Aw, you don't want to go into more detail?", Ember teases as she moves directly behind the Dragon Tenno, stopping just a couple of feet from his back.

"Perhaps instead of pestering me while I'm on watch you can better spend your downtime training to keep your powers under control like me", Chroma growls as he punches in a sequence on the bridge monitor.

"It's far easier for weaklings like you to keep their powers under control than it is for us stronger Tenno", Ember replies.

 _ **Ordis' Notes** **#1** :_

 ** _At this point, my scanners pick up Operator Chroma's body heat slowly rising along with a steady increase in his heart rate. Sensors also pick up a surge of electric coursing through his body. Going off past observations, this is a clear sign that -he was about to fucking snap- his patience was beginning to wear thin._**

Chroma halts all activity, his fingers hovering over the holographic keyboard. Without a word, he rises up from his cross-legged position and turns to truly face the Fire Tenno for the first time since she entered the bridge. Even though he towered over her Ember didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"You mind repeating that?", he growls as electrical surges dance off of his body.

"You heard me just fine", Ember answers as she pokes a finger into Chroma's chest.

 _ **Ordis' Notes #2** :_

 ** _Ordis did the calculations and theorize that if Operator Chroma and Operator Ember were to have a physical confrontation right there in the bridge, despite the Lotus forbidden such a thing, the odds of whoever would emerge victorious are stated as such:_**

 ** _Operator Chroma: 50.01%_**

 ** _Operator Ember: 49.99%_**

 ** _This is taking into account that Operator Chroma was using his electrical element and being fully rested while Operator Ember was just coming back off of a sortie and was more than likely experiencing minor fatigue despite her outer appearance. Furthermore, even with Operator Ember being the more agile of the two such advantage wouldn't matter in such a closed compartment especially against Operator Chroma higher durability._**

 ** _On another note, the damage done to the bridge would be nearly insurmountable to fix on our own and would require the Orbiter to pull into a nearby relay in order to have access to the proper facilities in which to repair it._**

"Did you know that your warframe was made from parts of mine as well as Volt, Frost, and Saryn?", Ember question Chroma, ignoring the tension in the air.

 _ **Ordis' Notes #3** :_

 ** _After a quick search through the ancient Orokin files, Ordis finds out that Operator Ember is indeed correct in her statement about Operator Chroma's warframe. How she came across this knowledge though is unknown at the moment seeing how neither her not the mentioned Operators have no record of accessing these specific files seeing how Ordis himself just acquired these files only a week ago while scanning through an Orokin Lab that Operator Nidus and Operator Ivara came across._**

 ** _On a sidenote, those other Operators that she mentions along with herself regularly form a squad that routinely completes sorties together._**

Chroma taking a menacing step toward Ember was his only response to her statement and the Burning Tenno actually had the common sense to back away a little.

"Hey now, take it easy there", she chuckles as both of her hands become engulfed in flames, "You don't want me to scorch your suit now, do you? And that saying nothing about all the equipment in here."

"Why are you doing this?", Chroma seethes, "Far as I can tell I have never once insulted your honor and usually kept my distance from you."

 ** _Ordis' Notes #4:_**

 ** _Operator Chroma is correct in his statement. Through all pasted recordings and mission logs, Operator Chroma has never interacted with Operator Ember in a negative fashion. Taking this to a further extend, Operator Chroma and Operator Ember have never interacted directly outside shift rotation on the bridge or being next to one another during intelligence briefs. Ordis is at a loss on what could have brought out Operator Ember sudden hostilities._**

Ember chuckles darkly, "You really don't know? You don't remember what happened in the Orokin's labs?"

Chrome's silence was her answer.

"Well, allow me to enlighten you", she says as she takes a threatening step toward him only for a voice to come through the bridge channel.

"Orbiter, this is Mesa. Come in, Orbiter", the Gunslinger Tenno's face appears on a screen directly behind Chroma causing Ember to stop in her tracks, hands still burning with red flames while Chroma was frozen in his place just as he was about to unleash his **_Spectral Roar,_** the lightning still dancing within the confines of his mouth.

For what seems like hours, the two Tenno had their standoff; watching and waiting to see who would make the first move all the while Mesa was still trying to call in.

"Orbiter, come in. I need to make my report. Who in tarnation is on the bridge?", she shouts out, "Hey, I know you're there! Sensors are telling me that the bridge is not on auto-pilot!"

After another tense moment, Ember retracts the fire from her hand and Chroma dispels the lightning in his mouth before turning his body sideways to the console and pressing down on a button, his eyes never leaving Ember.

"Mesa, this is the bridge. State your report", he calmly says.

"Oh, sweet dust storms on the horizon! I wasn't expecting you, suga!", Mesa says in a surprised yet flattering tone.

 ** _Ordis' Notes #5:_**

 ** _Ordis would like the record to show that in nearly all of Operator Mesa's encounters with the other Tenno and even the Lotus herself, she has always used the word "Suga" in her exchanges with them, though she was always using it in a neutral or negative tone. This is the first time Ordis has ever witness her using it in a positive tone. Ordis would also like to mention that he was about to intervene when Operator Mesa's voice came through._**

"I'm still on medical lockdown and Trinity is busy in her lab at the moment. I decided to manned the bridge to pass the time", Chroma answers.

 ** _Ordis' Notes #6_**

 ** _Ordis' scanners indicate that Operator Ember's heart rate increased upon hearing that Operator Trinity was in the medical lab. Ordis concludes that since Operator Ember was brutally defeated by Operator Valkyr during a practice spar, Operator Trinity then easily handle Operator Valkyr, and that she most likely wouldn't appreciate the two Tenno fighting on the bridge, Operator Ember had every right to be worried._**

"Oh, okay. Sooo….how have you been, suga?", Mesa asks in a overly high pitch voice.

 ** _Ordis' Notes #7_**

 ** _Remote scanners within Operator Mesa's warframe indicate that her heartbeat and body temperature were rising at this precise moment._**

"Don't you have a report to make?", Chroma asks her while still watching Ember. Luckily, he activated the audio-only line so Mesa couldn't see the tense situation inside the bridge.

"Oh, right. I have to do that", she grumbles.

 ** _Ordis' Notes #8:_**

 ** _Operator Mesa's report is considered the low point of this observation log and thus will be skipped. The most important detail to come out of her report was the fact that the Grineer were sending an extra battalion to reinforce their position on Mars in their ongoing conflict with the Corpus corporation that is currently fighting them over the planet's resources._**

 ** _Ordis would also like to clarify that Operator Mesa's heartbeat and body temperature started to return to normal during her reporting._**

"And that's all I have to report, suga", Mesa finishes.

"I see", Chroma answers, "I'll relay this to Excalibur and the Lotus. Your next sortie is with Gara and Mirage at Saturn. Extermination mission; two Grineer companies."

Mesa lets out a grumble, "Fine, at least I can get a nap in on my way there. Mesa, signing off", she sighs.

"Jessie", Chroma calls out.

...

"Y-Yeah, suga?", she stutters out after taking a moment to catch herself seeing how Chroma just called her by her real name.

"Be careful on Saturn. Even if you have Gara and Mirage with you, watch your back out there", Chroma tells her.

A moment of silence passes by.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!", Mesa nervously laughs, "I'll do that, suga! Take care of yourself, suga! Got to go, suga!", and with that Mesa cuts the comm line to the bridge once more leaving Chroma and Ember alone.

 ** _Ordis' Notes #9:_**

 _Operator Mesa's heart rate was among the highest that has ever been recorded for her when she logged off. Ordis, fearing for her health, contacted her not long afterward. Oddly enough, when contact was made, Operator Mesa was repetitively banging her head on the wall of her landing craft while repeatedly saying the words "Idiot, idiot, idiot". Whether this was directed at herself, Operator Chroma, or some third party, Ordis does not know._

Chroma turns to fully face Ember once more as electrical currents spark off of him, "Do you care to continue this little game of yours?"

Ember hesitates for a moment but after awhile turns her back to the Dragon Tenno, completely surprising him, "I came to swap out my weapons for my next sortie", she says over her shoulder, "But don't worry, you and I will continue this "discussion" at a later date. Might even bring along a few friends along when I do."

Chroma watches the Fire Tenno then sauntered out of the bridge, her hips swaying with every movement. Once more, the Dragon Tenno found himself watching this longer than he intended too, but as soon as the bridge entrance closed up he shook his head and went back to his post, watching the monitors and listen to intercepted Grineer and Corpus messages while pushing this entire incident to the back of his mind. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

"Where are you hiding?", he whispers to himself as he watches the screens, "Where are you Stalker?"

 ** _Summary of Observation_**

 _ **1** **. Hostilities have been openly established between Operator Chroma and Operator Ember. While this is not the first time such things have occurred between Tenno, the fact that it almost happened in a critical location of the Orbiter certainly elevates this one in particular to one of the more dangerous confrontations. Furthermore, it's unknown if such hostilies toward Operator Chroma are also shared by Operator Frost, Operator Volt, and Operator Saryn.**_

 ** _2\. It would seem that Operator Ember has come across information on her own regarding the Tenno and their warframes. Why she has elected to not share this information is beyond Ordis' comprehension._**

 ** _3\. It would seem that Chroma is gathering intelligence on his own in regards to "The Stalker" despite the fact that the Lotus has not authorize him to_** **_do so._**

 ** _4\. Operator Chroma will most likely not be reporting his incident with Operator Ember anytime soon._**

 ** _5\. It seem that the relationship between Operator Chroma and Operator Mesa has improved despite their lack of interaction ever since Operator Chroma was placed on medical lockdown. Ordis does not know what to make of this._**

 **End of Observation Log #1**

Lotus watches the video over and over again on her private channel within the confines of her personal landing craft while in route to the Jupiter Relay to gain information alongside Excalibur.

After the umpteenth time watching it, she pauses the video and lets out a breath.

"Ordis", she calls out.

" _Yes, Lotus_?"

"I want a close eye kept on Ember as well as Frost, Volt, and Saryn. Seeing how parts from their warframes also make up Chroma's suit, they may share the same feeling of hostility as well toward him. Also, go through all their past missions, solo or otherwise, and see if you can find out where they discovered this information", she orders, "This information is fairly new even to us but it looks like Ember has known about this for a while."

" _Yes, Lotus. Anything else_?"

"Yes, while I want you to continue the observation of all the Tenno, I want you to make Chroma a high priority in any of his interactions with the others. Especially when he is on the bridge. He can keep doing his own little information gathering on the Stalker without us interfering as long as it doesn't clash with his duties, but I want to know everything he knows, it that understood?"

" _As you wish, Lotus._ "

"One more thing. I especially want you to record any encounters between Chroma and Mesa. I dare say, despite the rocky beginning between those two, they're starting to entertain me with their interactions", she orders as the faintest hint of a smile appear on her lips.

 **A/N: This will be addressed later on in the main storyline. In the next observation log, Nezha approaches Chroma to ask for his aid with Mesa and Hildryn dropping by.**


End file.
